Our Missing Time
by NewDawnFox
Summary: Sequel to our missing years...Master and Padawan, Dad and son,Kanan and Ezra what ever they are to each other, their bond will be tested. Will they stay together or will the empire separate them? and what else will happen to our heroes?
1. Chapter 1

Our Missing Time

chapter 1

A master's fear

Kanan's pov

"Ezra...Ezra, come on now...wake up please,my son" I said to the unconscious boy by my side.

It had been nearly half a day since Ezra and I had been captured. Ezra has been in and out of conscious in all that time. Being thrown in this transport with other captured people bound for who knows where, I just had to hope that Hera and the others got the message and have thought of some way to rescue us. If not I had to think of a way to rescue the two of us.

Thinking of what I might have to do to rescue us I looked Ezra all over, I could see that his injuries weren't too bad, he will heal fine. It must have been the a blow to his head that has him slipping in and out like he is. The carrier ride was a little rough and I was a little surprised that he didn't stay awake a little longer.

"Sir is that your boy?"said a voice from across the other side of the transport, when I nodded he continued "you had better let him sleep while he can, he won't get much once he is sold on to be a slave".

I sighed, the man was right in a way, Ezra would need to rest we needed to recover as much as we can but not to become a slave, no Ezra and I need our strength to get away before that happens. Ezra shifted and curled into me, I smiled a little, Ezra despite his unconscious state and injuries, he recognized me even in his sleep. I moved hands as much as I could and brushed a stray lock of hair out of his eyes, then I hear him say...

"Dad, let me sleep"

And to that I say "that's right daddy is here. Rest my son, everything will be alright".

"No it won't" a new voice said.

I turn at that voice to see a young Draconic boy, about the same age as Ezra glaring at me with pain in his eyes. From what I know of his race, they are very hard to capture but this boy, he didn't seem to have the same fire in him that I have seen in the others of his kind. I wonder what has made him like that and I didn't know if I would ever get the full story out of him.

"What was that?" I asked him.

"I said no it won't. Nothing will ever be alright again" said the Draconic boy looking down, his tail curling around his body as if he was trying to hold himself together.

"It will" I responded and when he looked up at me I continued " the force knows it will, I mean how long have you been a slave? you can't have been one very long?".

"I have always been a slave. As soon as I was old enough to hold and push things, I was taken from my parents, I don't even know if they are still alive or not" he replied looking away from me.

If I could get him to trust me, I could use his size to our advantage. I just had to get him to believe that he would get away, to seize his freedom along with Ezra and I. Turning my head I could see that there were other strong people in here, now all we needed was the opportunity to use it but that Draconic boy would be a help as a spearhead to our exit.

"Would you like to find out if they are? I plan to get myself and my son away from here as soon as I am able. When I do I will try and free you...all of you" I said addressing all of them but mostly at the Draconic boy.

"You can that?" asked an adult advozse male.

Just then a plan started to form and knew somehow that it would work in our favor. All I had to do was to get the others in on it so that we had a chance. It was a small chance, but a chance and I was going to make sure that we all made use of it. I couldn't be sure that we would all make it to freedom but I would make sure that at least Ezra did.

"I believe I can but I will need help. We will need to take out as many of the guards as soon as those doors open, what happens after that I cannot be sure but at least we will be out"I responded to the questions in their eyes.

The carrier rattled on as we planned our escape. Sometimes I looked at Ezra, the kid was showing more signs of waking again and he needed to wake I knew I couldn't carry him and fight. It was going to be hard enough to fight like I am with my hands tied like this, I was going to need to free them as soon as we were away from here. I am sure the Dale and his minions will be after anyone who does get away.

Just then I hear a groan and I look down to see Ezra was now awake again...well sort of. The kid was blinking a bit like he still had a headache, but still I was glad to see those bright blue eyes of his again looking a little clearer.

"Ezra, son are you alright?" I asked silently letting him know that he has to call me dad.

"Dad w...w..what happened ? h...h..how are you here?" he asked.

"You decided to attack the wall with your head and the wall won" I answered with a chuckle.

he raised an eyebrow at that.

I sighed and said a little more seriously "you were unconscious I came to help but when the brute that attacked you threatened your life, I had no choice but to give in,so that he wouldn't continue to hurt you. There really wasn't anything that anyone could do to stop what was happening. Then we were thrown in here" I replied.

"So its my fault" he said, his hair covering his dirty face.

I quickly brushed the hair away from his eyes again. I knew that my next words could change how Ezra felt about what happened, it was one of the things I was taught at the temple and I knew that he needed to hear this to help him see he couldn't have stopped it or avoided it, I was just meant to be.

"Son its not your fault, if anyone's fault its mine, but I have trust in you to succeed at the impossible. I know you were still weak from the bite but I thought you were ready. Are you going to be ready next time?" I said looking at the boy.

Ezra looked up and then sent to my mind "was that something of a Jedi saying in there Kanan?".

"Might have been but its no less true, I have faith in you, my son" I replied leaning down and touching my forehead to his.

"K...K..dad do you think we can get out of this?"Ezra asked.

"Y...yes we can"I said, making the words stumble a little when I heard the word dad.

Even though I had asked him to call me that while we were here. I didn't know how I would react when I heard that word, its like I just had a fire lit in me. Something that I hadn't felt in a long time, something that gave me the will to fight for him, that was a feeling that no dark side user would ever feel, the light of hope.

A few minutes later the carrier started to slow down, time for the mission to begin, but Ezra and the other hurt ones had to stay out of it, he like the others were still too weak to help us but still they had to be ready to run when the time came.

"Okay dad I will" Ezra said through the bond.

I smiled inwardly. Then the carrier stopped and the rest of us moved, as so as the doors opened the bigger captives rushed the slavers but were ready for us,like they had gone through something like this before.

"Don't think this is the first time that our slaves have tried to escape on us, many slaves have tried, all have failed in their escape attempt once we got to the sale yards. No you will all bring us credits" said Dale his hand moving under Ezra's chin as he stopped in front of us.

I glared at him, then looked at Ezra and was a little worried by what I saw there. In Ezra's eyes there was none of the cocky teenage Jedi that I knew and cared about. No all I saw was a small blue eyed child that had just excepted his fate.

 **An: the start of the second part of "our missing years" story. Tell me what you thought of it and of the new rebels episode? more soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Together but apart

 **An: Incase I didn't say it before I don't own rebels, because if I did we would know what's up with the Space Whales and Ezra in the next episode, any way read on.**

Ezra's pov

"Put them into the holding pens. Children under sixteen in one and the older ones in another, keep an eye on the ones that could cause trouble in both groups, they might run, fight again or both and I don't want valuable stock to get damaged before I have had a chance to sell it to the highest bidder" said Dale

We were soon shoved into different areas, most of the children were humans or humanoid very few were alien. All were terrified including me, we were all so crammed together so tightly that most could sit, we had to stand. I couldn't see Kanan anymore in his pen, from what I could see most of the people in there were a little older than Kanan was, the oldest with withered figures of someone who has been out in the sun too long,whose face showed no fear only dignity but it was the uncertainty in their eyes showed who they really were.

even if I couldn't see Kanan, I could still feel him and made this place a little bit more like I could stand it. Don't get me wrong I was still scared but knowing he was nearby helped me control those fears. At least I hoped it was, I didn't want to have an other brush with the dark side of the force like I did on the asteroid.

"Nor will you have to Ezra...I will always be here to help you, even if you can't see me" said Kanan to my mind.

It feel good to hear his voice but the last part of his message confused me though, what did he mean "if you can't see me". Does that mean he is going away from me, that we were not going escape this hellhole, if he wasn't close by I didn't think I could take it. I sighed, my fate I knew was something I couldn't get away from without him.

"What you do mean by that?" I asked him now I thought that through, my force signature bond grabbing on to his and his grabbing on to mine.

"What I mean is we might be separated by anything now or in the future. We might be sold to different masters if we don't escape from here, the future is a slippery thing who knows what is on the horizon but know that if that happens and aren't together, believe that someone will come for you. Just trust the force and trust in me Ezra" Kanan said his force signature warming my own.

And we stayed like that for a while, our connection warming, disappearing the fears that we held within us. I could feel Kanan working through a plan to get us away, even as more captives were thrown into our pens making it even harder to move. The daylight was getting lower, the suns were setting if Kanan didn't think of something soon it was going to be too late.

Kanan had told me once that if innocent lives were threatened no matter what species they be, whether they are human, humanoid, alien or even some kind of animal. It was the Jedi who was there would figure out what to do, even if it was a no win situation. So all we had to do was to find a way but the problem was that with us penned like this and the access to the pen doors all but blocked, maybe the only way to get away is to try to escape when they come to sell us.

"That might work padawan but it might not. I should think that when they come for us the guards will be higher in number than when we were put in here" said Kanan, I could still feel him thinking over what I had said.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

"We wait until they sell us and once we are in their care, before they take us away from here, we make our escape as the guards will not be as high in number. Once away from there Ezra make your way to your tower, I will meet you there or at least one of us will be able to get hold of the crew and will be able to save the missing one" he replied.

I thought about it, about what Kanan just said and I realized that it might work, if I ran the right way or if Kanan was able to get away first then we would be able escape and get to my tower but what if it doesn't work? what if...

"Ezra don't start with the "what if's" thoughts. It will work but if it doesn't we aren't alone in this, Hera and the others will have found the message that I left and will do the best they can do to find us. Trust me" Kanan told me.

"I do trust you" I said as I noticed they were starting to crowd around the pens.

I backed away from the slavers, the memory of the last time I was sold still fresh in my mind, but this time Dale was the boss, the seller, not the one who was buying, still the memory weighted heavily on me. I could feel Kanan sending calming waves of comfort through the force, but it wasn't helping. I sighed in relief when they left but then my heart rate picked up us I realized that mean't that they were going to sell us soon.

I was so distracted that I had forgotten Kanan was there, I couldn't even feel him right now, then suddenly the doors opened,I hadn't even noticed where the time had gone. I panicked when they came for me, but as Kanan reminded me before that I couldn't use the force on them. As a Jedi in training I was in danger of being sold on to the empire once my slave owner knew what he had, this didn't stop me from thinking about it though.

I was lead past the adult pen where Kanan was and finally I could see him. He was pushing his way through the captives as he followed me. I don't know what made me do it but I escaped my guards and ran to him as he got close to the fence as he could.

"D...Dad I...I" I tried and failed to get the words out that I wanted to say before I was dragged away from him again, just like I was when we got here, Kanan knew what I meant to say any way because once I broke away again to get to him he replied "I know son, I do too" he got out before the guards came for me again this time making sure their grip on me was bruising.

I stood on stage as the seller starts the bidding. I was so afraid but I had a feeling while I was there that I could cope because it almost felt like Kanan was standing there with me, so didn't even notice when the bidding had stopped but I did feel the guards pushing me along, not back to the pens, somewhere else and even as I tried to do what Kanan asked of me I knew at once that I wasn't going to get away.

Kanan's pov

I say this place was bad was like saying the inquisitor was a Jedi. This place was a nightmare within a nightmare that I was going to make sure that Ezra and I were going to wake up from. I hadn't seen Ezra since they put us in separate pens, so that when I connected with him and we talked. I could feel his fear and pain about being here, I needed to get him away soon because it was not only these things that might stop his escape, it was his weakening body that was still recovering from the crystal snake bite.

So that when I saw him again as he was marched past, I had to get to the front. I feel him pushing up against the bars as he got to me once he escaped his guards.

"D...Dad I...I" he was trying to tell me something before he was dragged away again, he fight and got away then came to me. It was only then I could feel the words he was trying to say, so I replied to him "I know son, I do too" and I did, I care for him deeply.

I made sure that I stayed with Ezra for as long as I could from when he was dragged away from me, to when they forced him onto the stage. I could feel his fear as he stood on the stage, so much so that I sent out as much of my force signature to him to help him bare it. It was almost like I was standing on the stage with him.

I could feel his fear dying down as he felt me with him, only to have it return when he was lead off the stage and away from me. I was so distracted by this that I didn't even feel them come for me. The only thing I was worried about was getting away and getting to Ezra before the distance became to great for even force mind talk.

"Now that the young slaves are out of the way, lets start the bidding of the sixteen to thirty adult section today" said Dale, his voice cutting through for a moment.

I could hear them calling out prices for me but I was trying to and kind of failing to see where Ezra was. I knew he hadn't been past the holding pens but did that mean that he was still a captive or was he free now and had found somewhere to hide until it was safe for him to come out and make his way to his tower but then I spot him and I realize even if he was well there was no escape from those that held him.

"I am sorry Kanan I couldn't get free and I heard from the people that are in here with me that we are just about to leave the planet. I am scared Da...I mean Kanan I don't know if I can survive alone again. I told the guide at the temple I could but I don't think I can" Ezra sent.

"It's going to be okay Ezra my son" I sent letting him know again that I thought of him as my son and that wouldn't change then I continued " I will find a way to get to you, no matter where they take you, I am coming" I finished feeling the guards pushing me along.

I must have been sold, and after another fight trying to escape again, I was forced to my knees. I looked up once I saw a pair of boots standing in front of me. it was Dale and by the look on his face I must have been sold to someone he knew. I closed my eyes and connected with my padawan son again, this time I felt a little hope coming from the boy.

"I believe in you master and I will wait for you" he sent sounding hopeful and full of light.

"That's right my padawan, for no matter how dark things seem, never give up hope" I sent before the connection was lost. I would have to escape on my own and find him, I would never give up hope that I would see him again no matter how long that was.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Worlds away

Kanan's pov

"Well it's no Jedi temple or even the Ghost but at least its not Mustafar and no one knows I am a Jedi or I would be in real danger, maybe even Ezra too as they think he is my son and would probably think he has the same powers as me. I wonder where Ezra is? I hope he is alright" I thought as I and other captive slaves were unloaded from the transport we came in.

"Line them up for branding, the boss's cattle need to be identified" said a voice.

I look and I see two men, one with a data pad,The other turned with his back to us but there was something familiar about him and then he whispered something in his ear before leaving, then I had a flash of thought _was that Dale_. I could see data pad man's face now, craters of scars littered the man's skin like he had been in too many fights, and his eyes showed no emotion for any one's pain. He quickly turned and lead the way inside a mining hangar built into a cavern wall.

Deep inside after we past many a mining transport, the hallway we walking down right now had two pits. One was hot as we walked past it and I could smell something burning in it that smelt awful, I mean even Zeb smelt better than that. The other once we got past it also had a bad smell,but not only that, it had my Jedi senses on overdrive. I was sensing sadness and fear from what ever was in there, not that I could see what it was, I guessed that the master was trying to scare us and from what I could see it was working on almost everyone.

Now we were pushed up against the wall with a small fire pit bucket and long iron pikes sticking out of it. I quickly realized what was going on, our branding. Before I knew it the first person, a young child maybe as old as Ezra was when he was first a slave, was pushed face down on a table and his arm pinned so he couldn't move it. One of the guards picked up an iron pike,lifting it, looking at the red hot design on the end and then drove it deep onto the boy's arm.

The boy screamed a hellish scream that set some of the other captives screaming and I could smell the burning of his flesh. Once they pulled back the pike placing it back in the fire, I could see the brand, it was the same design as Ezra had. The boy was dragged away his feet dragging in the dirt, he had obviously fainted from the pain. The next slave was then brought forward and the whole thing started again,then the next, then the next until they got to me. I knew it was going to be unbearably painful but I would bare it, as Ezra had.

Ezra's pov

I was sitting in a cage still on a spaceship when I felt it, the pain spread from a point near my shoulder and traveled around my body, but I could tell it wasn't my pain, it was Kanan's. What had just happened? our bond wasn't strong enough at this distance to ask Kanan what it was, so I just did for him what he did for me, I sent out as much of my signature along the bond to give him strength, I just had to hope he would be alright.

"Does anyone know where we are going?" I asked one of the few adults that was with us.

"As far as I heard it, I think they are taking us to a planet called Kaller or something like that"said the man in the next cage.

Kaller...we had been there before when we were supposed to pick up supplies. Kanan seemed almost afraid of the place. He had told me then that something bad had happened to him here and that might be the only good thing about coming here, I will have something to do besides the pain of being a slave, maybe I will be able to find out something but then when Kanan was here it was a long time ago, so anything that might have been there is long gone.

Kanan's pov

My arm, oh Karabast it hurts. I don't know how Ezra put up with having his arm branded like this and in my pain hazed mind I thought I saw Ezra sitting by my side holding my hand, looking at me with those big blue eyes of his, telling me that it was going to be alright, that I was going to get through this. A little time later once the pain had subsided I could take a look around at the other slaves, my eyes settle on the small boy that was branded first.

It was too easy to see Ezra as that boy and a feeling that I felt before for Ezra came over me and move carefully as I make my way over to him. At first the boy froze and tried to move away, obviously scared that I was going to do something to him golden brown eyes wide with fear but then I could see that he could see that I meant him no harm and he then came to me.

"Mister why do you look like that?"he asks his hand grabbing hold of mine.

"You remind me of my son Ezra and while I am here I will take care of you, if you don't mind?"I said the memory of Ezra was too strong in my mind as the kid turned into Ezra again.

"You sound like you are not going to be here long" the not Ezra said,in Ezra's voice.

"Long enough and we have friends that will come and freeing us" I replied as the not Ezra turned back into his true form again. Realizing what I said I continued "don't worry I am sure they plan on freeing as many of the slaves as they can".

I can't believe I thought I was talking to Ezra, maybe the pain of the brand is causing me to have delusions of my padawan or maybe it's something else but what ever it was didn't make what I said any less true, I would do all I could to make sure that this kid plus as many captives as I can escape this place. In a strange way I was helping the Ezra of the past be free of these demons.

"Oh okay" said the boy looking a little bit better, his eyes starting to sparkle a little, again reminding me of Ezra, when he starts to get something right, whether its to do with Jedi training or flying with Hera or really anything.

I smile at the memory as I think that maybe it would turn out alright. Then I feel it a small force signature coming from the kid. It wasn't as strong as Ezra's or even mine and defiantly not strong enough to ever be trained as a Jedi but still it was there and it will help him stay alive, until we can get away from here.

I look now at the other slaves and realize that none of them seem to have has much hope as I and this boy do. Its as if their spirit has already left as soon as the brand was burnt into their skin. For me its another thing I have in common with Ezra and I hope that once this is all over I can sit down with him either in our room or in the room of thousand fountains and talk about all of this and help him... help us recover from this.

"What is your name?" I ask realizing that I didn't know it.

"My name is Peter but my friends call me Tug" the kid replied and smiled at me, a missing tooth smile.

"Hi Peter, mine name is Kanan. May I ask you why your friends call you Tug?" I said and decided right then that I would stay by this kid's side as much as I can to help him survive this place, hopefully he has family out there somewhere.

"No I don't mind...I was called Tug because I used to Tug my friends along to do something against the empire's soldiers. Whether it was stealing their helmets or just throwing fruit at them getting their shiny white uniforms dirty. At first they didn't want too but I changed their minds, but something tells me I should not do that here." He said, again reminding me of Ezra, something told me that these two would get on well together.

Then Tug continued "Mister Kanan...where are we?" sounding not like Ezra, sounding like a scared little kid that he was.

"As far as I can tell we are still on Lothal I think because we were knocked out for a little while and if we are still on Lothal its not an area I know and I have been all over this rock"I replied, still very glad it wasn't Mustafar or even Dispayre.

I turned my eyes to the little patch of sky I could see and sent my force signature out to the small point of light that was my padawan's signature that was getting smaller all the time. I hoped that Ezra was alright, but I knew from what I got from him was that he was scared. I had to get away from here and too that off world that he was going too and I would. I would trace him through the force, through our bond and I would hold him in my arms again.

 **An: how was it? all planets, Kaller,Mustafar and Dispayre are real Star wars planets. First two you should know but look up Dispayre and tell me what you think of it.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Information leaks

Hera's pov

"Hera what are we to do? the droid we captured and the walker that we took down had nothing on where Kanan and the kid are" said Zeb, his fur all bristling, he really wanted to hit something, anything, I had to get him out of here again before he started taking his anger out on my ship and a angry lasat on a ship this size...well it is not healthy, for ship or lasat, as I will kill him.

I looked up from the list that we made when first our Jedi went missing. The people and place that might contain corruption, spice possession, slave trading, anything that would be illegal and criminal, anything that you would have to hide from the empire, but our searches so far had come up with nothing that would help us find Kanan and or Ezra, for all we knew they were not even together any more, which would take more time to find them, time I wasn't sure that they had.

"Zeb you knew that the chances that the empire would have any information on Kanan and Ezra, and even if they did the chances that they would leaves them alive" I said sighing for about thousandth time that day, then I continued on "there is not much we can do,besides going to our underground sources like vizago and I know no one wants to go to him more than we have to right now. We just have to hope that fulcrum has had some luck and got us the information we need or at least a lead on where we might get some" I finished saying trying to calm the big lasan.

It was hard staying behind while the others went out to look. I wanted to be out there more than anything, I mean my two loves were out there in the dark, maybe hurt or worse, the youngest probably scared out of his mind. From what Kanan told me in secret, Ezra's mind is full of pain and mistrust, To get him to trust us like he did, to trust Kanan in the way that he did was a rare thing for him. I would make sure that Ezra still had that trust in us, and while I wanted to believe and trust that Kanan and Ezra would be alright, until I held them, until I had them back here where I could keep an eye on them, I wouldn't stop worrying about them.

I was still thinking about them and where else we might try when I heard the cockpit doors open and Sabine walk in and take the place that Zeb had just left, not that I had noticed him leaving it, my mind just could not stay on the here and now for long, I needed my boys. Sabine looked at me, She could tell there was something really wrong with me and she didn't know how to bring the question up with out hurting my feelings about it. I sighed about my worries I guess I was starting to get on the others nerves about it.

"Hera are you alright? I know you told Zeb that we have to wait until we have more information, but you don't really want to do you? Kanan and Ezra, you care about them more than you care about Zeb and me. Don't deny it, it is all over your face"Sabine said,she really knew how to get to the problem at hand,or at least one of them.

"Sabine, I know you might think this wrong of me but you are right, while I care about you all and I consider us all family here on the ghost" I say before sighing again my mind drifting away a little then I continue "Kanan and Ezra probably mean more to me than they do to you. Kanan and I have been...well its hard to say as there are no words for what we are because we have been each others someone for a long time and before you can ask no we haven't been lovers of what Kanan is and what we are doing it is just not possible. Now as for Ezra as remember he came on this ship not really trusting anyone, and slowly over time he has opened up to Kanan and sometimes to me, I see some of what I went through in his eyes, so much so that I am starting to think of him as the closest thing I have to a son and that is the truth" I told her hoping that what I said didn't hurt her too much.

"Hera I understand, I think I have known you were closer to them for a while and I can see you are worried that it will hurt our relationship... don't worry I am not hurt. Hera, while like Ezra I am young but unlike Ezra I don't need a mother figure in my life, I see you more like a sister, I know you will take care of me and I will do the same for you. We will get them back, I just know it"Sabine said before leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I sigh, my crew, no my family, they really are so good to me, to us all. When ever we need someone to help us through what ever we are going through they are there. I think that is what helped Ezra get closer to us all, to learn to trust, to learn there is a way to live that has nothing to do with being all alone. Just like Kanan was at the start, not really trusting any one not to betray his identity to the empire.

I am so lost in my thoughts that I don't hear Chopper come in and tap me on the leg until he decided to shock me out of them. I look down at the little droid thinking now of shutting him down for an hour or two for what he just did, until I see why he did it. There was a flicker of light on the consol, letting me know that some one was trying to get in contact with me, I pushed the button to get a familiar voice.

"Fulcrum to Ghost, come in" said Fulcrum, the voice crackling over the ship's comm.

"Ghost here, what information do you have for us? please tell me you have found them" I said patting Chopper on the head, promising to give the little droid an oil bath when this was all over and I could finally relax.

"Of Kanan, we have found strong leads to where he is being held. From what we have been able to get through our network of spies in the underground, it looks like he is still on Lothal, working in a mining operation in the mountains, not to far a way from where you are right now. The master there from all reports is called Kheev, a high ranking boss under Dale's brand. The camp is small compared to other types of mining, so getting Kanan won't be too difficult for you" the voice replied.

"And what of Ezra? is he there?"I asked.

"I am sorry Hera, Ezra isn't with Kanan. Many children his age and younger were taken away by ship off world, all I can tell you is capture Kheev, he might have or know of someone that has the information you need. Don't give up hope, I will keep digging too, Fulcrum out".

A tear fell joined by another and another, while Chopper just patted my leg,trying in his robot way to let me know that he was here for me, just like anyone on the Ghost would be if they had been here to hear that. Soon we would have Kanan back safe on the Ghost but Ezra, my darling Ezra...

I swallow back a sob, before opening up the Ghost's internal comm system to the others, it was time to get our Jedi knight home.

 **An: a Hera chapter for all those who might have been wondering what the Ghost crew were doing to get their Jedi back.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Mountain Miner

Kanan's pov

I knelt in the dirt,trying but failing to get my breath back and I wasn't the only one. Tug for all his fighting spirit was weakening fast, I had to work on a way to get us out of here because to say these past few weeks have fun would be an understatement, it would make the inquisitor look like a good guy, but this also reminded me of my time on Gorse. I stood up and started pushing my crate onto the elevator, watching it go up to the surface to freedom of the open ground above us and as far as I could find out that was the only way out.

I started down the tunnel again once the crate was well on its way. I looked around as I stopped again for a moment, because that is all the guards would let us have, hopefully Ezra was fairing better than we are. The slaves that were brought in at the same time I was are dead or dying, of those that were still alive at all had given up the fight, the will to live was broken. It was maybe only Tug and I that were fighting with everything we had left in us because of the people waiting for us on the outside.

Tug's wellbeing was one thing I would make sure that the boy stayed strong until I could place him back in his care givers arms again but then he wasn't the only child that I was worried about, Ezra...my padawan, my son Ezra...Ezra's childhood was and in some ways still is a tornado of pain and fear. While other kids are thinking about pod racing or being a storm trooper etc, Ezra was off on his next mission, trying to figure out how to survive to the next week on what he had at home or what he should steal next so he did. Ezra was almost a boy that was a nobody, a never was, at least until we came into his life.

My eyes closed and sent Ezra strength down the bond for as long as a could, not knowing if he got it and making myself dizzy in the process. So much so that I didn't hear the fighting up in the tunnel mouth, I even didn't hear the voices of my friends as they called out for me, all I could think of at that moment was Ezra and whether he got what I sent him, I had a feeling that he needed it. I didn't know how I just knew he did.

"Kanan"

That brought me back because that sounded like...I turn around and see Sabine and Zeb, the voices that I didn't hear before and people that I had been longing to see again, they came for me, its over, its time to go home. Tug and the others are free, soon I would see my son Ezra again because surely Hera would have got him first before me, I soon would be able to hold him in my arms and never let him go.

"You found me"I said falling a little before Zeb caught me, my body gave out as the relief of the ordeal being over finally hit me full force. My body trembling with the little food,sleep and beatings I received if something wasn't done right, had taken its toll on me.

"Hera would have turned us into Loth - cat food if we didn't. Right now she is up top with the boss of this place, man named Kheev, she has him in chains making sure that you and all the other slaves in this place are free"Zeb said as we started our movements to the lift to the surface, I knew it was going to be good to see the sun again.

I sigh as the former slaves under encouragement from Sabine climb into the lift, I knew that Zeb wanted me to join them but I had to wait for Tug. Thinking of him brought me back to Ezra, I did notice he wasn't with them but maybe he was back on the Ghost too hurt to get out of the medbay or maybe Hera didn't let him come. I wasn't getting anything off Zeb or Sabine but that didn't worry me much yet.

"Zeb where is Ezra? I am too weak right now to feel him with the force. Please tell me that he is alright and is waiting for me on the Ghost"I pleaded with him,hoping beyond hope that I was wrong with what I was really thinking right now.

Just then I saw Zeb and Sabine's eyes flickered between myself and the two of them, then I knew what they had not said. They had not found Ezra yet, I knew it as soon as they found me but hadn't let myself believe it until now, just like a light saber through my body would kill me, this news almost as sure stopped my heart with pain, making me collapse against Zeb even more.

"Kanan...mister Kanan is what I am hearing from the other slaves true? are we free?" said a young voice calling from down the tunnel footsteps coming closer all time.

I look to see Tug, his hair flying around his dirty face, his breath coming in gasps as he stopped in front of me in his excitement kicking up more dirt. The boy was very skinny but it could have been worse, he could have ended up with a childhood like Ezra. Ezra... I gripped Zeb tighter trying to not see Ezra in Tug's eyes.

"Yes, we are free, like I told you, my friends have come and soon you will be back home again"I said, smiling a little in spite of my pain in learning about Ezra.

"Will you drop me off yourself? I would like you to meet my dad. I think you would like him and I know he would like to meet you, the person who kept me safe until I could come home. Please Kanan will you?"said Tug practically begging as we climbed into the lift and made our way to the surface.

"Fine" I said as the lift stopped and we made our way out. I could hear Hera yelling at someone in the compound but it didn't look like it was Kheev, I didn't know who it was.

"Boy can you stay here with these two while I go and see what is going on"Said Zeb as he walked off.

"Sabine what is going on?"I asked sitting down on a crate that was nearby.

"I don't know but Hera is not happy, and obviously she didn't get what she wanted from the main boss but I figure it will be soon as here she comes"Sabine said as I was quickly wrapped up in Hera's arms and her hand pulling my head down onto her shoulder.

It felt good to be held like that, to be held in the safety of familiar arms, but that feeling didn't last as Ezra's missing voice and signature made themselves known. I just couldn't enjoy this until everyone was back where they belonged and Ezra belonged with me. For as long as I breathed Ezra and I would be together and now it was time to get him back.

 **An: Ezra is still missing, but at least Kanan is now free. What will they find when they drop Tug off at his home? find out next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

A Padawan's call

 **An:some one asked for an Ezra pov chapter and while I hadn't planned on including him yet, I found this chapter wrote itself, so I hope your happy with it because I know I am.**

Kanan's pov

"Thanks big guy I can handle things from here"I said as Zeb lowered me into my bed on the Ghost, after seeing off the fleet with some of the ex- slaves, we had decided we would take more of them back tomorrow morning.

"Not a problem chief. Rest up, Hera's told the crew that your to have as much rest as you can. I think Tug is a little worried about you and how you are holding up after everything...what is it with you and troubling kids? first E..Ezra and now this kid, who's next?"Zeb replied, his voice stumbling over Ezra's name.

"I'm not sure...maybe because I was a troubling kid myself or at least my master always thought so"I sighed before continuing "Zeb I really don't want to talk about this any more, I need you to leave, I just...I can't..."I finished.

I was struggling and I could see that Zeb could see that I was struggling, so he just patted my shoulder and left the room. I laid back and was soon asleep, but what I saw was very troubling and I couldn't be sure whether it was real or a result of my fears. At first it was just shapes and random colors then it changed as the images became clearer and voices could now be heard, I just had to hope that this place wasn't where Ezra was.

The men, women and children were like statues as they took what the guards punished them with, they just didn't fight back at all. Elderly men with cheeks that held a pale color and thinning hair that might once been thick on their head looking like one could blow from any one guard or otherwise would kill them and as a alien with a human like face walked past I saw him, my Ezra.

He was chained by the neck by a thick metal collar to a trolley that he was pushing down a track, while a guard flash a whip over his back, I saw Ezra bite back a scream. I want to hurt that guard, I wanted to kill that guard, Jedi codes be dammed that guard if he was real was going to die as soon as I found out where this was, he was going to die by my hand for hurting my son, then I could hear what they said and that was the worst.

"Get moving Rancor fodder" yelled one of the guards.

I could feel the electricity arc through Ezra's body as the whip cracked on his back. I saw Ezra buckle for a moment before moving on, he didn't even look like he the will to fight back. Then the vision started to blur and I lost it only to wake up in Hera's arms. I didn't ask permission, I just did it, I buried my head on her shoulder and cried.

Ezra's pov

Far away from all that was going on, on the ghost, I was pushing my trolley down the track, my body still suffering the pain of the whip on my back, but then that is how I started my days with yells and cracks of the whip. The collar on my neck was heavy but didn't cut into my neck much as it was a little big, not big enough that I could slip out of it but big enough so it didn't hurt my neck like on other slaves necks.

The wounds on my body had doubled over the time I had come here, each day a new cut or bruise was placed on my body, each day I lost more strength. Kaller like Kanan had told me was a place of nightmares and pain. Not I hadn't seen the city in the distance but it was too far and I hadn't seen it since then as we were chained under ground, all day and all night.

Out of the children and adults that had made the trip here, very few were left alive and even I didn't think I had much longer. If I didn't know that my master was out there, if I didn't know that the crew of the Ghost were searching for me I would have given in a long time ago. _Master_ I sigh, I miss him so much and I wonder where he is, whether he is safe, whether in a vision he has seen where I am.

Thinking on that as I push the trolley back up the track after it was emptied, I knew I should really still practice using the force, not only would it help me but it might help my master find me in this place. Using a light saber is out as I didn't have it on me but then if I did none of this would have happened and I couldn't lift an object to save myself as my strength was nearly gone. I rack my brain to think of what to do, then I think meditation.

Not only would it help settle and maybe heal me, it might even help me to connect with Kanan. My head was growing a little fuzzy as I thought about this until I feel something touch my foot, and a very faint call that cleared the fuzzy feeling from my head. Taking a quick look around to make sure I wasn't seen, I glanced down to see a broken light saber, a very old, very dusty light saber.

Taking another look around to see if no one is watching, I quickly pull it up into my hand and hid it amongst my clothes. Suddenly I felt better,lighter, it was as if the Jedi who had once owned this light saber was trying and succeeding to make me feel better, stronger, so that I might survive this place after all, well at least until I was rescued. Somehow I knew something else too, somehow I knew tonight I will contact Kanan, I just know it.

Just then I feel the sting and pain of a whip on my back, so I got back to work. I work until I almost drop, my body and limbs trembling as they undo the collar and throw me into a cage with some of the smaller slaves in this place,once I hated being so small but right now it gives me a chance to rest until I have to work again.

I move to the back of the cage and laid down, curling my body around so that no one can see what I am about to do, you never know if there isn't a spy in here with us making sure that there were no plans to escape from this place from any of the slaves. In this position it was easy and comfortable, I could stay this way for hours, but I had to make sure I didn't fall asleep, another easy thing for me to do right now.

I take out the light saber and really look at it. The case that hold the inner working looks mostly alright except for the part that holds the crystal itself, that is broken. It looks like it was hit by a blaster, but this was a precis shot. I don't know of any storm trooper that could have pulled off this shot, maybe Kanan will know who or what could have done this.

I open the light saber's compartment to see what the crystal looked like, only to find it shattered, but the green crystal is still giving off a faint glow in my hand, telling me that its story isn't done yet and now I am sure that neither is mine. Its time to make a call, time to find out how much my force abilities have progressed.

I hold the crystal close to my heart as I close my eyes and make the longest call of my life and even if I didn't get anything from Kanan by doing this, I knew it would make me and help me survive to the next day. I just had to hope he was listening.

 **An 2:Tug's house next I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A master's pain

 **An: as promised Tug's house awaits and not one of you guessed right who was going to be there to meet our rescue crew.**

 **side note to the guest that reviewed I have watched the trailer, but as this story and "years" fall in the first season time line mid season trailer has nothing to do with it,but please keep reviewing I welcome all opinions(with in reason of course).**

Kanan's pov

"Tug?...Tug" a confused but very joyful voice called out.

I looked down to see the boy I had grown to know over these past weeks look like he was about to tear up and cry with happiness. I didn't need a bond with Tug to know what he was feeling, he was putting out very strong feelings, a warm feeling as he grinned and yelled out in response to the person that called out.

Tug took off running as fast as he could and soon was cradled in a man's arms. I could see the family resemblance between the two males was unmistakable, the larger man must be the boy's father, another reminder of something that I had lost but something that I planned to get back just as soon as I could. I could only hope that I was not idealizing my dream of holding Ezra again because if I couldn't, my world be torn apart.

Just then I hear "Mister Kanan" and I look up to see the boy's father standing in front of me.

I could see the concern in his eyes but I couldn't be sure that I wanted that concern right now, I mean the man had his world back...his son peter AKA Tug back in his care. He didn't have to feel like he let his boy down, he didn't dream about his son crying out in pain or hear him call out for him to rescue him, he didn't feel...he just...I just...just then I feel a warmth come from the man and I was able to gain control of myself.

"That's me, who are you besides Tug's father?" I asked, my voice in control now even if the rest of me was loosing it again, I just wanted to go, to not be here.

"I am Alan, nice to meet you" he replied holding out his hand for me to shake it.

I sigh, a release of more stress and I answered him "nice to meet you too, wish it was under better circumstances. I think my son would have liked to meet yours, I know he would have" my head dropped until I was watching the ground without really seeing it.

"Your son is missing?" he asked.

"Yes, we were taken together at the same t...t..time. I...I..I couldn't do anything to save him from his fate"I answered, my voice cracking as I finally got out some of the pain that had been flowing through my mind since the capture and my rescue.

I was able to say anymore about what was going through my mind until I feel a hand on my shoulder and looked up into the man's eyes. I could tell he knew my pain, had known my pain since his son had been taken, but now he was healing and he would help his son to heal from the memories,nightmares that were likely to come over the weeks and months ahead.

This father knew nothing about me and yet he was giving me strength, it was easy to see where Tug got his warm nature from. Maybe Alan had some force - sensitivity too but not as strong as Tug. I wondered where Tug's mother was but then I thought maybe that was a story I didn't need to know, it was just him and Tug, sometimes that is enough and maybe one day that would be Ezra and I, if we had to leave the rebellion for some reason and I would for him.

"I don't know if he is alive,my heart tells me he is but even if he is I don't even know where he is or where to start looking. My friends have tried but still nothing" I finished, my eyes dropping to the ground once more.

"Well I don't know if this will help you but while I was looking for my son, I over heard some slavers talking about a ship carrying a lot of young children and adults to a place called Kaller. Whether your boy is there with them I don't know but it is a place to start" he said.

I nodded looking the man in the eyes again, it was a place to start and it would be just like the force's karma for Ezra to end up on that planet, like the force was telling me that I needed to face my old pain. For me it was a place I never wanted to go back too if I could help it, but somehow I was continuity being thrown at the planet like I was anchored there, or there was something that anchored me there.

"Kanan its time to go" said Hera coming up to us and from what I could see of Tug's face behind her he wasn't happy that I would be leaving him but I had to go, he wasn't the only boy that needed saving, and his father's heart wasn't the only father's heart that needed healing.

"Tug come here" I said dropping down onto my knees and placing my hand on his shoulder, just like his father did for me I gave him what strength I could, then I continued "I must go, I have to find my son Ezra. You don't want him to be in pain too much longer do you? of course you don't but I will tell you what, once I have found and rescued him, he will some time to recover from whatever they have done to him, what if we spent that time here with you and your father"

"But what if..."

"But what if he is terribly hurt or worse? I don't know what I will do then I don't think anyone would know what they would do in that situation but I will find a way of letting you know, I promise" I told him.

The boy looked down for a moment, shuffling his foot back and forth, then looked up at his father, then back at me and I knew then answer before he even opened his mouth to speak. I could see it in his eyes that he agreed with what I had just said, now I just had to hope I could keep that promise because I knew that with each day that past Ezra's chance of surviving became less along with mine because I didn't think I could suffer another close loss like that.

But even as I thought that, walking back to the ghost was hard because I knew I was going to miss Tug, the gentle wind on my hand as he slept next to me, his bright eyed good morning even as we knew what was coming during the day but then I reminded myself that he was safe, Ezra was not, and I needed him to be, not only for his healing or even mine, I had seen what our capture had done to the crew too.

Hera walked by my side as we walked into the ghost. She marched me right into my room and sat me down onto the bed. I could feel her trying to talk to me but I was lost again, this place had too many memories of Ezra in it, there was nothing she could do. It was like I was in a world of my own and I had nothing to bring me back into this, then I feel something being pressed into my hand.

I look down and see Ezra's light saber, a reminder that I didn't want but somehow I need it to anchor me here right now, I needed something to hold onto, I didn't hear Hera leave to get it but I was so grateful as I feel the grip and the hum of the crystal beneath the casing. I could feel Ezra through this connection.

"Hera thank you" I say once I finally look up from the saber to look her in the eye.

" That's okay love" she replied then she saw how tight I was hold the saber she continues "you are scared for him aren't you?".

"In a way yes. At the temple we are taught to trust the force, that what happens, happens, so according to what I learned I am supposed to trust that what happens to Ezra was supposed to happen to Ezra, like if one day he turned to the dark side of the force, not that I think that will ever happen on its own but that is not how I feel right now" I say looking back down at the saber, noticing for the first time that its shaking in my hands.

"And how do you feel right now?" Hera asked sitting down next to me putting her hands over mine, stopping them from shaking for the moment at least.

"I feel like I should have done more, saved him from this pain. When I saw him in that brute's arms with the blaster to his head I...I...I wasn't his master at that moment in time, I felt like a father watching his child in danger and the only way to save him was to give in. Maybe I should have found a way to make sure we were placed in the same place, so that I could keep an eye on him but then maybe I wouldn't have met and saved Tug and maybe Tug would have died because of it" I confessed.

"Love, you did all you could do. Ezra wouldn't want you to feel like this, he would want you to be strong, strong for him and strong for yourself" she said getting up and walking to the door, she could see that I needed to be alone, with a final look she left.

"Ezra please be okay" I thought.

Holding the saber close as I started to mediate to calm myself down again, and to see if I could feel my padawan again. So lost in this I didn't see the crystal that lives inside Ezra's saber light up, all I could feel in that moment was my padawan looking for me as well, but the signature was stronger, boosted by some force, something that felt familiar to me.

 **An: how was it?surprised you didn't I? and the end of the season 2... all I can say is OMG! more soon.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A light in the dark

Ezra's pov

K...Kanan...my master I can feel him, he is looking for me the way I am looking for him, through the force. Does he feel me too? something tells me he does for suddenly I am filled with warmth coming down the bond. I know the distance is probably too great for words just like we were doing before, even the temple of light, our shared vision area is out of reach.

Should I try to reach him?

 _Do or do not there is no try_

Damm the memory of that training day, milk cartons being thrown by Chopper, Zeb's laughter,the fall, Kanan lifting me and everything that happened after, especially the flare of warmth down the bond from me to him when I realized that he didn't want to dump me on someone else, just like before I even met the ghost crew. Then I made up my mind and the crystal in my hands flared to life as if in agreement.

"Kanan can you hear me?" I sent hoping that he could.

" ...th...y.u? came the answer with another flare of warmth and a little feeling of hope.

It took seconds to realize that he could hear and answer too but the words were fragmented by the distance they have to travel or is it that I am too weak right now to receive them properly. maybe it was both but as I realized that I also realized that my words would be broken up too or maybe Kanan can hear them fine, I just don't know, then another feeling signaled down the bond as Kanan was getting worried about me.

"Yeah it's me master, please don't worry I..." I started to send before I realized that I couldn't tell him how I was really doing. If I did it might push him into doing something that might get himself killed but another flash of warmth down the bond made me realize he could maybe feel how I was feeling right now.

"Ez.a...r...y.u..o.k.?" Kanan asked me now.

I sighed and decided on some of the truth "I have been better" I answer not saying more than I needed too but now I had a question of my own and it might just distract him from the pain that was now making itself known,I knew I couldn't hold on much longer to this and even the crystal couldn't help much more either.

"How are you? are you safe?" I sent once the pain had dropped a little.

"I..am... ...a.d...s..fe,..E...ra...fe..ls..l..ke...b..nd...is...we. ,..wh..r...ar..u?"he sent.

My vision was becoming clouded and it was getting hard to breathe, the dust from the cave that formed from are work was now falling and was gathering close to the ground. As much as I wanted to get a way from it, I just couldn't. I curled around myself, cupping the crystal and my hands close to my mouth to help my breath settle down and for now it was working but I knew it would only a matter of time before I past out from it. I couldn't count the number of times I had woken up to find someone had died because of the dust.

When I don't answer Kanan straight away,I could feel the Jedi becoming more worried but my connection was to weak now for words, I would just have to send my feelings down the bond as a ye,s no answer for as long as I could. I could feel Kanan strengthening his connection to me as much as he could so that words even broken as they were would still get across but even that wouldn't be for much more. We had to get our answers now.

"..r...u...on...K..l..r?"

I thought about that sentence for a minute, it was so broken and hard to piece together but then I work it out to be _are you on Kaller._ I don't know how he found out that name but right now I didn't care, I was just glad he knew which planet I was on and that would mean he would get here soon, so I sent..."Yes I am on Kaller" with as much warmth as I could, which flared the bond strong again.

Kanan pov

My padawan is on Kaller, why is it always that planet. For me it held painful memories, memories now that I feared that Ezra now held too. I knew that there were good people on that too like the man that helped me out when I was Ezra's age, he or someone like that could have more information on the slave campsites. For now I finally had something to go on and a planet I would tear apart to find my friend.

"M...ster I...f..ond...ght...sa..r"

Ezra found a light saber, it would just be like him to find something like that, just like he found mine when he first came to me. I smile at the memory, some thing I haven't been doing a lot of lately, just then I feel a dramatic drop in the strength of the bond, we were loosing the connection so I have to tell Ezra one thing before the connection is lost.

"I am coming, hold on"

I feel the warmth Ezra sent to me and I know he felt the warmth I sent to him before I lost the connection. Just to know where Ezra is even though I cannot feel him anymore is a great comfort to me, to know nothing like I did hurt more than if I ever became blinded by a light saber. I would rather become blind than loose Ezra, either to these slavers or the dark side or anything else.

"Hera get in here"I yell down the Ghost's internal com link.

"What is it love?"she asks as she runs into my room.

She knew that I would not act like this if I didn't have something important to say. I got up and started to pace unable to keep still under the weight of what I now knew, even though my body was still screaming in pain. I wondered how Hera was going to act once she knew what I did, although she did not know that planet as well as I did, she wouldn't know how much danger Ezra was in as much as I did.

"I made a connection to Ezra, Alan, Tug's father was right, Ezra is on Kaller. He is in a lot pain, he didn't want me to know how much but I could feel it through our bond and I have a bad feeling that if we don't hurry up Ezra will not last much longer" I said in responds to her question after deciding how she actually needs to know about what is going on.

Hera wrapped her arms around me. stopping my movements, calming my heart which was racing at light speed, telling me in her own way to calm down, that she was here for me that we all were. I sighed and leaned into her touch, giving me the strength to recover from the information I found out from Ezra.

"That's great Kanan, not about the pain Ezra is in, but the connection to him. Kanan you still feel tense about this...is there more to what you found out from Ezra isn't there?" she said.

"There is more, that planet Kaller has a high slavery rate, there will be many places he could be. I just have know way of telling where Ezra is, he was too weak to tell me much about what was happening to him and where he was on the planet, he may have been unconscious when he was taken to the slave camp" I said thinking of ways I could find Ezra without the connection of the bond.

"If you can't connect with Ezra again then I will contact Fulcrum, maybe we can get some help to free not only Ezra but others as well" she said releasing me and then leaving the room, I could tell she was going to tell the others about what I found out and in that I was glad, I didn't think I would be able to say the words again.

I sat down on the bed, my body relaxing a little now that we had a planet and a plan to find Ezra. soon the boy would be in my care again and I would never let him go, no matter what happened to me in the future, Ezra and I are and always would be a team. Now all he and I had to do was to hang on and survive until we were together again.

 **An: yay Kanan knows where Ezra is and will soon have him back I hope.**

 **If you had trouble working out the broken words here is the translations:**

" **Ezra is that you?"**

" **Ezra are you okay?"**

" **I am fine and safe,Ezra it feels like the bond is weakening,where are you?"**

" **Are you on Kaller?"**

" **Master I found a light saber"**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Ezra's brave heart

Ezra's pov

I made it through to Kanan, I made it through to Kanan, I made it through to Kanan. I kept repeating that in my head over and over as I work through the new day's work, even the light saber hidden in my clothing didn't give me that kind of strength, though it still warmed me. I know it wasn't very long or very clear but it was enough, just like the light saber I found, just saying those words, knowing what they meant to me gave me the strength I needed to survive the next hours of work. It gave me warmth and comfort to know that he was coming.

"Get moving slave"

The chain from my neck was removed as I was taken from the cart that I was chained to and walked down the hallway to what I knew was the collection area. There was a lot of small children here, or like me teenagers that never grew, I mean I had grown a little over the time I have had with the Ghost crew but not enough, I knew I was never going to be tall, something that Zeb teased me about over and over again as I reminded him that we all couldn't be 7 foot tall monsters.

I sighed as I picked up a rock, even thinking about Zeb made me home sick. Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb and even Chopper I missed them all so much but it was good to know I would soon be seeing them again. Up head I hear voices and a voice full of fear, that snapped me out of my happy thoughts as I moved closer to what was happening. I could see now a young kid, maybe about the same age as I was when... no I don't want to think about that time, not now I am so close to going home.

"You worthless piece of kriff, move" yelled the guard and following that I saw a whip hit the small kid across the shoulders, causing the kid to fall to the ground and curl up into a ball in hopes of protecting himself.

 _If you ignore the past , you jeopardize the future._

I could hear Kanan's teachings filling my head at the moment, my Jedi training was telling me to do something,it took all I had to not to react to what was going on but it was getting harder all the time. The kid could suffer the same fate that I had at one time, the broken bones, blaster shots, the burns that sent pain through my flesh. Now the boy had the whip laid across as I had at the same age, no that was enough I wouldn't see any one else suffer what I had.

The Jedi in me had to do something, even if it might mean the whips lays across my shoulders instead, I had to do it, Kanan would do it in a heart beat. Jedi are keepers of peace or at least they were and wasn't I the next generation of Jedi that were coming through. Who knows that kid might be one too in time, all he needed was some one to show him the way, like I did, like I do. Maybe by standing up for this kid I will inspire the others to fight back, who knows maybe I will be free by the time Kanan and the rest get here.

"Don't you lay another hand on him" I yelled out standing up, causing the guard to look at me, and I just glared back, this person would not scare me, I had seen the inquisitor up close, and nothing could be more scary than that.

The guard came to me and picked me up in one hand. My feet were dangling a meter from the ground, maybe this wasn't the best idea. This reminded me of the time not to long ago when Zeb did the same thing to me after Chopper and I stopped him from having his waffles, what is it about big men and picking me up with one hand reminding me just how small I was. The boy, I could see from this position was nodding his thanks from behind the guard's back, not that the guard would have cared if he had of seen.

"And what does a halfling like you think he is going to do against a person like me" the guard sneered, placing me on the ground at his feet.

It was only after realizing that this guy was bigger again than Zeb, that this guy could easily squash me flat that I had a flick of fear shiver up my spine, but that didn't matter as I got up because I would do as Kanan and the Jedi of old had done, and would continue to do, I would do the impossible when no one else could or would. I just had to survive and endure the fight that I was sure that was to come.

"You might be surprised by what I can do" I said in the most threatening voice I could, which must have sounded like a loth - cat trying to fight against something much bigger.

I leaped, as the guard's whip whistled under my feet, then landing in a crouch I punched out and caught the guard across the face as he kneeled to get close to me. I put as much force into the hit as I could and I pushed him back a few paces. He glared at me and I again glared, maybe he would realize that I was not the little push over that he thought I was. The guard changed tactics and used his height and strength against me, pain flashed down my leg as the whip hit its mark.

Pain, all I could feel was pain, as blow after blow finally landed on my body. I watched as the dull figure raised its arm and a rock came flying out of the fog, cracking me on my forehead, stars burst across my vision as I swam in and out of unconsciousness, so I did the only thing I could, I hurled a handful of dirt into the guard's face, which made him spin away, blinded. I got to my feet unsteadily, just as the guard tackled my to the ground again.

Then he got up and with a foot pressed against my throat said "boy you are not worth my time but because of what you just did, you are going to wish you were never born" and he started to flail his whip on my skin, not even stopping when blood started pooling around me on the ground, it was so bad that I was sure that he was breaking my body into molecules and glue run off. I screamed and screamed until my voice was gone, until I was gone.

Darkness, all I could see was darkness, voices called out to me, voices that sounded so far away, then a young voice called to me, talked to me, called me back from joining the force. I didn't know who's voice it was, only that they were willing me to come back. Then I hear what I think is Kanan's voice joining with the young voice sending me strength and not only them I could feel the saber's crystal calling to me as well from within its casing. I wouldn't give up, I would be here when Kanan comes to rescue me.

Some time later I woke up. I licked my lips and tried to get up so I could get a drink, only to be pushed down again by a small hand and something being poured into my mouth. It was clean, cold and soothed the pain in my throat. I didn't know who was taking care of me because when I look at them the figure is blurred and changes from the small boy I saved to Hera, to Kanan and back again. Always changing between those three and I didn't know why but at the moment I didn't care, I was just grateful as I slipped back into my dark world again.

I wake again to the sounds of whips,burning smells and angry voices on and around my body but for all my fighting the pain and darkness, I am loosing and I think they know it. A boot comes down on my chest and I feel something snap but I am so far gone that I am not feeling much of anything anymore. I hear more voices, I turn my head to the side to look for help from the other slaves but even from my blurry eye sight I could see that I wasn't going to get any.

Suddenly I am grabbed and pulled down the hallway, past the others. I wondered where the person who was helping me before was, not that it mattered now. Then I feel my body being picked up again, and the feeling of falling, then sharp things pricking into my body on impact to the ground. At first I didn't know what it was, but as I gain a little of my eye sight back, I wished I didn't because what I landed on was bones.

There were bones here, bones of dead children that died here when they were slaves and now I am going to be one of them, I have been thrown in here to die just like they did, alone, afraid and in pain from what they suffered. A tear slips down my face, the last tear I am sure I am going to cry as some part of me realizes that Kanan and the rest of the crew will get here too late, that I am about to die.

 **An: Maul has nothing on me(insert evil laughter).**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

A moment too late

Kanan's pov

"Kanan stop your pacing that is not going to help anyone and it is going to run you down. I know we struck out with the first few slave campsites we hit but this next one is the biggest one on the planet, I hoped not to hit it as that would let them know what we are doing, not that it matters any more. This place, if any where on this planet has information on where Ezra is, it will be there. You never know Ezra may even be there" said Hera calmly not trying to get me more worried than I already was but it wasn't working.

"Then we should have gone there first" I yelled out, ignoring almost everything she just said. She didn't feel what I feel right now, the pain he is in, the fear, how his force signature is little more than a point of light, too light for me to follow. My son was dying, I could feel him slipping away, and I couldn't stand it.

I could see that Hera wasn't moved by my little out burst. I knew I would have to explain why I was acting this way but I didn't have any idea how to do that, how do you explain the feelings that you are feeling aren't always your own. Ezra is and always will be part of me as I will always be part of him, no matter what may come of us in the future. Hera knew a little of what a Jedi could do but had little knowledge on what a Jedi and his padawan could do,which was so much more, so I would have to choose my words carefully.

"You don't understand Hera, it is hard to explain what I feel right now but I will do my best. I can feel Ezra, there is an ability that Jedi have so that we can find each other and before you say you knew this, the ability is strongest in masters and their padawan learners. As it is I know he is here but his signature, the thing I can trace him by, is getting weaker by the moment, and right now it is too weak for me to pin point his position" I said.

"Don't worry Kanan we will find him no matter how that is and until we do Ezra's strong will, will keep him safe and help him to survive until we get there" she said calming me with her words and her touch, then she looked up as the phantom pulled into the dock.

"Hera we have dropped off all the ex - slaves we had rescued to fulcrum's ship. Why do they get to know who fulcrum is before we do?" said Zeb as he came into the cock pit with Sabine in tow.

"That's just the way it is and how they want it for now" replied Hera.

I could feel that Zeb and Sabine were frustrated by this, and I would tell them if I knew but right now we had other matters to attend to, now that we were back together, it was onto the next site and hopefully my padawan because that right now is where my frustration lies. The little information we had only fueled that frustration, fueled my anger at the people that had taken him from me and our family.

The slaves... children and some young adults that we could see were working on the surface were in bad shape, there would be no help from them and what we could see of the tunnel leading into the mountain...I knew any slaves in there would be in a worse shape than that of the surface slaves. I sent out a wave of force signature along the bond trying but failing to get any response to it,but then I got a small flicking response coming from the tunnel.

"Well did you get anything chief?" asked Zeb standing to me as we stood on a hillside above the campsite.

I could see Sabine scanning the area and I could also feel Hera's worry and her hope as she stood by Sabine, we were not going to leave her out of this one, not when we all knew that this could be our last chance to save Ezra. Not that we...I would ever stop looking for him, dead or alive I would have him back. I knew this line of thinking was against all that I was taught in the temple and by my master but maybe it was time for the Jedi to learn new rules.

"A small flicker nothing strong enough for me to trace though" I said

Just then Sabine said " Kanan look at that boy near the tunnel entrance, he seems to be acting differently to all the others. He looks like he is looking for something or some one".

"You could be right, let's go and make a friend" I replied, something told me that this kid could lead me to mine.

Zeb and I made our way to the tunnel following the boy's movements, down the work elevator with the mining trucks that looked like ones I had seen before but even as we were doing this I was sending calls out for Ezra along the bond and as before I only got flicking signals from him but at the moment that was enough to calm me, as I knew he was still alive.

"What are you looking for?"asked a voice.

We were now on the same level as the boy and could see him speaking to another slave. Maybe we would get the information without anyone knowing that we were here until it was too late for them to do anything about us. The boy looked like he still want to keep going on what ever he was doing but it looked like the other wasn't going to let him.

"Please Derrick, can you help me?" said the small child to the older one.

The one called Derrick was dark haired maybe one or two years older than Sabine, much older than Ezra, looked stronger too, better taken care of than most of these slaves. Head slave maybe? some one to keep then younger child slaves in line, maybe we should try and capture him, he might have the information on the children in here, Ezra would come under his rule as well as any of the guards or masters.

"What are you looking for Caleb?"asked Derrick again this time kneeling so that he was on the boy's eye level.

"I am looking for a boy. he has blue = black hair, kind of small only a little taller than me but he has bright blue eyes. He saved me Derrick and I was taking care of him but when I went to get something to clean some of his wounds with he disappeared, only blood and scratches on the ground where he was. I believe that something bad has happened to him and now it is my turn to save him. Have you seen him, I have to find him." said Caleb.

"No I haven't seen him but sounds like if they couldn't get him to rise of the ground, if he was that badly beaten...he would most likely been thrown on the bone pile, it's something I have seen before, try there" answered Derrick before standing up and walking off.

We watched as the boy sped off in the other direction. We followed him for the boy that Caleb described to Derrick could only be Ezra. No one else even came close to looking like or acting like him and if he was badly hurt it would explain why I couldn't trace him, even now when we were so close to him, but some part of me was hoping he was just playing that he was hurt and he was going to escape from here.

As we neared a huge hole in the ground, my bond with Ezra reacted. He was here but like before the signature was flicking, fading, Ezra was dying, I knew it for sure now. I had to act now or I would loose him. I could see the boy looking down into the pit, then I see him freeze in shock, Ezra must be in there but how were we going to get in there when we could see the guards coming up the tunnel with what looked like another dead child, I sent a small flick of the force in that direction and found that child was dead.

I turn my head to Zeb and told him quietly to take care of the guard. Then I ran out from our hiding spot behind the rocks and dashed into the hole. I could see that this pit was full of bones, scraps of clothing, and half rotting bodies of other children that had been thrown in here but there was only one child that mattered to me, my child, my Ezra.

After a few minutes of searching, I found him. He was still breathing but it was fast, labored and there was a small trail of blood coming from his mouth. I gently pick Ezra up, moving so slowly so that any injuries that he had were not made worse by my movement of him. Just then Ezra moans and his eyes flutter open, they looked dead like it was hard to even do this little bit of movement. I could see his mouth moving but there wasn't much sound coming out of it as I smooth back his hair and clean the blood from his face.

"K...K...Kan" Ezra whispered trying desperately to say my name, I could feel how much he wanted to know that I was real.

"Shhhh Ezra my son...I am here, I am real and its time to go home" I said sending warmth and comfort down our bond as I lifted him up more and force jumping out of the pit.

"Kanan go take Ezra and this child to the ghost, we will execute the rest of the plan and free the others" said Zeb pushing the child Caleb to my side.

I nod and placed Ezra and Caleb into a nearby cart and took off. As I was running told Caleb to keep an eye out for guards that might stop us but it was like the force was with us, letting us get to the elevator and out onto the surface. I could hear Ezra was gasping for breath and all I could do was to send him as much strength as I could but that might not be enough, Ezra was still fading.

Hera was there when we got to the ghost, opening the ramp as we got close, but as I lifted Ezra out of the cart, I could tell it was too late, Ezra was...Ezra was gone and all I could hear was Hera screaming cry.

 **An: don't kill me.**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Reaching out

Kanan's pov

Ezra was gone... gone from this world...well in a world of his own making.

 _Flashback_

Hera's cry ripped through my body like a wild fire making the Jedi knight in me, not the parent, check whether the boy I cared about so much was really gone. I found in my search a fading point of light, Ezra was still in there and I had to work fast to save this life, or I really would loose him to the force forever. I told Hera and Caleb as much as we raced into the Ghost medbay and hooked Ezra up to all sorts of machines.

I channeled what I could of my own force signature not wanting to overwhelm the child after what he had been through. The machines showed that his life signs were getting a little stronger but something in me knew that wouldn't be enough and at the moment I had no clue as to how to help Ezra,but I had to soon, I couldn't loose him again, I just couldn't, it would kill me too I just knew it.

 _Flashback ends_

A few minutes later I realized that Ezra was breathing on his own, but by the messages that the machines were giving out, Ezra had slipped into a coma. Right now the rest of the crew was sorting out the slaves that they had saved, what ships they should go on to got back to their home planets, anything to help them not think of the youngest crew member. Some of the older ones slaves had decided to help out in the rebellion in any way that they could, some of the younger ones too but Fulcrum would not take those, she had told us that children shouldn't be part of this war and that was the problem, Ezra was a child, mixed up in this war and it was my fault for doing it to him.

I didn't leave Ezra's side, not even to see Caleb off when he left earlier that day. I feel Ezra's signature weaken again and I pushed my force signature into him, comforting and strengthening the boy's ties to life, but I knew it wasn't going to be enough, I had seen this before and I didn't want to see it again, I would have to do something else soon and I was starting to get a hint of a plan.

I hear noise outside the door to the medbay and in came all the crew minus Chopper. I ran down all of what I did, and what I knew was happening to the child we all cared about. The worst part was that the signs for waking up weren't good, it fifty/fifty whether Ezra would even live, but Jedi part of me knew there was a way out of this, a way to help him I just needed to see it. I wished my master was here, she would know the way to save Ezra, I knew she would.

"Can't you do some sort of Jedi mind trick to help him heal?" said Zeb in a gruff voice, not wanting to let any one know how worried he was.

Hearing him say that the plan I had been thinking of flared a little more. A memory of what I did with my master, a mediation trick that had bound me to her before we had gone to our first mission together, made itself known. I didn't need a deep connection as I had with my master but with the bond I had with Ezra was still there I just needed to strengthen the mind connection to pull this off. It could fail and kill Ezra but it might be his only hope of living.

"I could but Ezra is so weak right now, if I try something and it doesn't work it might make his condition worse, which of course is something we all don't want" I replied to him, eyes never leaving Ezra's sleeping form, wondering if he was strong enough to suffer through this.

"But if you don't do something, Ezra will die anyway, we all know it and you did promise Caleb that you would do all you could to save Ezra's life before he left with all the other slaves" said Hera taking Ezra's hand in her own.

Like earlier just speaking or thinking that name brought back the memory of that small child, who had done all he could to save the one friend who had risked his own life to save his own and how he had looked at Ezra when he had discovered Ezra would be staying here with me and not going to a medical center where he would be able to get the help he needed to recover, but as I told him at the time it was too dangerous for any of the ex - slaves to be seen in public and right now Ezra couldn't defend himself if he was found.

"You will take care of him? he saved my life, I just wanted to make sure he would be taken care of too" Caleb said holding Ezra's hand and taking my hand too.

I gave that hand a squeeze before I said "Caleb I will do everything in my power to make sure Ezra survives. Ezra is the closest thing I will ever have to a son of my own and I will never give up on him" which brought a smile to Caleb's face before he left.

I was brought out of that memory by Ezra moaning, his hands tightening, all but crushing Hera's and mine in the process. I look down at Ezra's face, it was full of pain. Then I realized that I had to risk it, Ezra meant to much to me, to all of us. Then I thought if I could bring his mind to the temple of light and to the place of a thousand water fountains, might make it happen easier for him to survive it because it was where we had both had felt at peace.

I just had to hope that this might keep him calm enough while his body heals and maybe then he might come out of his coma, but I also knew it might take more than that but at least it would be a start and that was something we all were hoping for. My face must have shown some of what I was thinking about because soon I was asked a question by a worried captain.

"Kanan what is it? do you have an idea about how to help Ezra" Hera asked, her hand brushing through Ezra's hair trying in hope to wake him up herself.

"I do, it might not work but it is worth a shot" I said in reply, readying myself to mediate, there was no telling what I would find in Ezra's mind right now, what darkness was in there and if Ezra would even be able to hear me at all.

"Do you want us to leave love?" asked Hera now, taking her hand off Ezra's head.

"No I need you here to monitor Ezra. If he starts to get worse you might need to stabilize him"I answered before closing my eyes and connecting to my broken padawan of a son.

Pushing my mind through the haziness of pain and fear, I found Ezra curled up in the corner of a room, which looked like the room he made for himself in that old tower, I guessed that this was a place he felt safe in, but looking at it again it had parts of the ghost there too. My room and the cockpit were there as well as the common room, but there wasn't any representation of Zeb or Sabine anywhere in sight, which meant to Ezra he felt safest with Hera and I, and Sabine, Zeb and Chopper were allowed but not trusted as much.

Ezra himself still looked bloody, broken and flickering like a ghost, but at least his breathing was better. His eyes were dull with pain, and I could see unshed tears in them like he wanted to cry but couldn't. His whole body was shutting down and I knew his mind would follow, I had to work fast, I had to get his focus on me and not on the pain that his body was going through.

"Ezra can you hear me?" I said gently, moving my hand to his ghostly face, rubbing my thumb over the tear tracks, wiping the tears away that had finally fallen.

Ezra looked up, his body slowly become more solid at my touch, then I saw a shaking hand reach up to cup my face too. His eyes widened with surprise and the body became completely solid as he realized that I was real and not something that he dreamed up. I opened my arms up and he collapsed into them, wrapping his small body around my frame as tight as he could get. I could tell he was cold and frightened. I held him as tight as I could calming and comforting the child as he became more aware that he was safe.

I gently picked him up and took him back into the temple of light, by making a doorway leading from this place to our shared place. From there I took him into the room with a thousand water fountains and lowered us into one of the warmer pools. I started to wash off the blood and clean the wounds, even though he was here in our shared mind space, that these wounds were only images of what his physical body was like on the outside, he could make them disappear by himself, but right now he was too weak to do much and I had to admit to myself that doing this for him felt good to me as it did to him too, as if I was washing away my pains too.

"K..K..Kanan...d..d..don't blame y..y..yourself f..f..for what h..h..happened. I..I..I h..had t..to help h..him, I..I thought t..that is w..what a j..jedi k..knight would do" Ezra said shakily, his voice so soft that if I hadn't been holding him I wouldn't have heard it.

"How could I not Ezra. Its my fault that I didn't get us away from the slavers in the first place. I should have just taken you as soon as the doors opened" I replied looking away from the boy in my lap.

I know it wasn't a very Jedi like way of thinking, to be so selfish about things like this but that is how I felt. I should have run with him everything in me at the time told me this but if I had then that would have made me a coward, just like when my own mater told me to run, to save myself, also if I had run with Ezra then Tug, Caleb and all the other slaves would still be in chains.

"But if you were brave then with your master and died because of it, you wouldn't have met me. We were made to get captured by D...Dale so that we could free the others and I found something, I hope you have seen it"Ezra said making me feel better about how he was looking and feeling, but also how I felt since our capture began.

"The light saber?" I asked, thinking of the broken message between us when Ezra was still a slave.

"Yeah, the light saber. do you know who it belonged too?"Ezra inquired.

"Yes I did see the saber. I must say in all the places on that world you had to be working where a light saber could be found and as for who owned it...it was my master's light saber"I replied, saying the last part quietly some part of me was still ashamed of what happened to her.

"Master I told you don't be ashamed of what happened and can you tell me the story of what happened to her and to you that day"Ezra asked.

"I will when you recover" I said smiling a little, knowing this might be the push Ezra needs to heal faster.

"But master" Ezra whined.

"No buts, you heal then I tell...that is the deal" I said leaving no chance for any childish come back from my padawan.

But after a blue eyed glare from Ezra, he just snuggled into my arms as I lifted us out of the pool and laid us down under a large tree that was nearby. Then I heard singing, it seemed to be coming from the tree itself, maybe this was a force tree or maybe it wasn't I didn't remember it being there before, and I knew Ezra wouldn't have put it here. I didn't know where it came from but I was glad it was here as it washed away the last of our pains.

 **An: so many of you thought I killed Ezra...I am not that bad or maybe I am, something that was in chapter 10 is going to come back and bite our blueberry in the butt in the near future, so reread that if you dare. see you then.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

A space family

Kanan'pov

"Kanan, Kanan come back to us love"Hera was calling me back to the outside world but I didn't want to leave Ezra in this fragile state, but I could also see that he was tiring. His eye lids were drooping and he was slumped against me, so I lifted him up and took him into one of my memories. It was somewhere safe to leave his mind while I left to see what Hera wanted, I should have told her not to disturb me.

Still at least I didn't have to worry about him being alone, I was still here, well at least the younger version of me. It was one of my first days at the temple just after I was taken as a padawan by Depa Billaba, I still remember the looks I got from the others in my class when they realized I was now a padawan, while they were still younglings.

"Is that you?" asked a sleepy Ezra as I lay him down on the bed above my younger form.

"Yes it is"I said softly then realizing that as tired as Ezra was he wasn't falling a sleep, not yet but the edges of this memory were blurring, "Ezra sleep, I am still here I wont let go, even when I leave to find out what Hera wants, I am still here in my younger form. I may not be him anymore, not in age nor in the way I look at things but I should think having a force signature close to what I have now nearby will help you rest and don't worry I wont be gone for long, your not the only one who needs rest this has been a long day" I finished saying as I tucked him in.

"Don't worry my padawan, I will watch over your padawan" a voice behind me said.

I turn to see my old master standing there,looking happy to see me again. I can see a blue mist surrounding her body, showing her as part of the force. I want to touch her but I know I can't my hand would just go straight through. I turn back to Ezra to find my padawan sort of asleep. He still looked like he was in pain from his injuries but at least right now he was at peace.

"Go back to the others Caleb, I will be here for him if he should need something. I can travel anywhere in this mindscape, well anywhere that is on your side anyway, not his, not yet and before you can ask why, its not until he lets me that I can do that and I wouldn't ask anyway not until he heals" she said gently ghosting her hand through Ezra's hair.

"What will you do if he does?" I asked.

"Well depending on what it is, he will need none threatening memories, so if he wakes fully I will take him back to the fountain room, if I can get him to trust me that is" Depa told me and I was greatful to her.

I had heard the stories about force ghost and I knew from what Ezra had told me from his experience with them, seeing, hearing and speaking to those who had past on was not only possible but sometimes it helped too. I just hoped that her being here meant that Ezra was in more trouble than what we knew.

"Thank you master, Is it hard to see some one you care about hurt like this? how do you deal with it? I know I am attached to him and I just don't know what I would do if he died" I said running my hand through Ezra's hair again, I could feel most of his mind had shut down, not all but most.

"It is hard, all Jedi suffer through this at some point and I am not saying that you wont feel pain if something were to happen to your padawan, but as you have been taught both at the temple and by myself, you must trust the force, it knows what its doing"she said.

I nodded knowing that she was right but like before when I was a young padawan, I liked the way things were now, with Ezra by my side completing the Jedi I was supposed to be and if I had to go against the force to keep it that way I would but who is to say whether that is against the force or not, maybe I am supposed to do what I can for Ezra.

"True" Depa said as if she heard my every thought, then she continued "but remember that forcing something to come the way you want it to happen is differently against the will of the force" she finished.

"I know" I answered before giving Ezra a final touch and fading away into the real world, only to find Hera still trying to shake my shoulder to wake me up.

"I am here Hera, I am here" I said still holding onto the connection with Ezra, while opening my eyes and staring at the others.

Hera was standing between me and Ezra, looking a little unsure of whether she should be checking Ezra or me right now. Sabine was on the other side of the bed with Ezra's hand in hers and Zeb was just leaning against the wall trying not to show that he was worried about us both, not that the big guy could hide something like that, not from a Jedi anyway.

"Love what happened? Ezra's vitals were all over the place before you went in but now they have evened out" Hera said, looking over at the machine that wad hooked up to my padawan.

"Ezra was in trouble when I went into our shared mindscape but I soon helped him out and took him and took him to a place where he could heal and rest"I answered feeling a little light headed, I needed to rest myself.

"Kanan why don't you go and rest up, I can watch Ezra for now. Your still recovering from your time as a slave too" said Sabine.

I realized she said this because she needed time with Ezra by herself too. As much as she said she didn't like the kid like that, somewhere in her heart she did and him being hurt like he was brought it too close for comfort.

"Sabine you do know he is going to be fine now physically" I said, I couldn't say what his menial state would be like, but at least he wasn't going to die from this.

 **An:sorry for being so late with this but I had home work creep up on me in the last weeks, more soon I hope.**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Moon light

Ezra's pov

 _Kid...Kid, come back!_ the brown haired lady yelled at me as she chased me down the hall. I didn't know how she was here in my memory place because this place only belonged to Kanan and me, but there she was. Was this a trick by the people that captured me? or was this something else. I remembered being rescued by Kanan from the bone pit, but something felt wrong and right now I didn't want to be here by myself if something was just about to go down.

Then I hear something that kind of wakes me up. I wasn't fully a wake because I was kind of a ghost in the room, but then at least I wasn't with that lady any more, if she was some kind of trap. I could see the others around my body, which looked like it had fallen off a communication tower twice. I could see Sabine holding my hand and talking to Kanan about something, of what I couldn't tell right now until I got closer.

"Sabine are you sure you want to take first watch?" Kanan said sounding so sleepy, that I wasn't sure it he was even going to make it to his bedroom.

"I am sure, I need to be here, just to make sure this is real" Sabine answered, her eyes never leaving my closed ones, her hand making soft circles on my hand.

"Fine, take it while I go and get some rest. I don't want to leave, but Hera is right, I am still recovering too and something tells me it I don't, Hera is going to go all dark side on me and what I went through I don't think I can handle that yet" Kanan said to the others, earning a soft hit on the shoulder by the female in question.

"And Ezra needs his master awake, not half dead on his feet" said Sabine as the others got up to leave.

Seeing Kanan being supported by Zeb out of the room brought back the memories of my enslavement and of Dale. Had he heard what had happened yet? what would he do once he did? I wasn't sure I would live through another capture, I think he would kill me or I would kill myself, even if I knew someone was coming for me, just being there would be too much to bare again. Not that I think he would get any where near me, Hera would kill him.

I knew everyone listened to Kanan when it came to plans on the ground, but in the air, on the ghost, Hera was empress. I took a few minutes thinking of what Hera would do to Dale if she ever got her hands on him. I knew what she did to the crew if they didn't something she didn't like, Dale wouldn't stand a chance.

I am alone now with Sabine and she doesn't even know I am here, not that I can say much to her, but this might be a way of finding out something about her that I didn't know before, something that she was afraid to say in front of me and now she had her chance to get it off her chest without worrying what I thought about what she said.

I could feel what Sabine was feeling as she sat by my side, still not letting go of my hand no matter how many hours past. I wish I could feel her hand on mine, but like my mind, most of my body is asleep as I heal from everything that has and is still happening to me, the feeling I had while in my mind scape is still there. Was there something they had not picked up on? or was there something else going on? Just then Sabine started talking...

"Ezra there is something I wish...I have to tell you and I am not sure you are going to like it or not, but having you like this I Can tell you without telling you" she said

I could tell she was hoping that I understood, and I did, but it didn't stop me wishing that I wasn't awake so she could tell me what ever it was in person. Then I thought Sabine was such a private person that this might be the only way I ever find out what ever she is hiding from me. I just had to hope that what ever it was didn't hurt our relationship as friends, if that was all we were ever going to be.

"Ever since you came on to the Ghost all those months ago and joined the crew, I have treated you unfairly and I know that wasn't fair on you, but I could see what you were doing and I didn't want to encourage it. Only part of me liked it, Ezra the truth is I like you too. Maybe not the way you like me at the moment but the way I see you is, like a little brother crossed with something that could be more" Sabine said holding my hand tighter.

Something had told me that it was something like that, it was kind of the feeling I was getting between Kanan and Hera too, there was a mixture between sibling and not quite lover. I wasn't crushed, but it did hurt a little and I was sure it was showing in my vitals on the monitors that seemed to be connected to just about every part of my body. I could see Sabine freeze at the sight of them until they calmed down as I thought about what she said, well that was until she went on with her confession.

"Now whether something might or might not happen between us? I am leaving it open. Ezra I am not saying no, I just think until this war is more settled or won I cannot be in a relationship with any one, not even you Ezra, but I think you know this" she finished.

She didn't say no, just not now. That too was kind of hard to hear, but Kanan had told me much the same thing before, that what we were doing now was more important than having a date with Sabine, there was time for that later if she wanted to date me. I knew that they were both right and it was something I had to face, but karabast, I just didn't want to hear it from any one. It was my right, no a teenager's right to act the way I do.

An hour later Hera walks in and taps Sabine on her shoulder. It must be time for a shift change, so that Sabine could go and get some sleep too, I was sure Kanan and I were not the only ones that lost sleep over what had happened and that feeling that I had before Sabine started her confession was stronger now, what was going on with me?

"It's time for me to release you from your watch. I know you want more time with Ezra, but I need you to watch Kanan too. I have a feeling that he might try and sneak in here to be with Ezra, so I need you to check on him for me and I want some alone time with Ezra too. Do you understand?" Hera asked.

"I understand" Sabine answers with some kind of emotion that I don't understand.

As Sabine takes her hand out of mine, Hera places her hand in it. I didn't understand why, but I guessed it was something to do with letting me know that some one was always here for me. Still I cannot feel anything from her touch, I wish I could, but soon I know I will wake up and tell them that I could feel and hear everything they told me and what I think of them...

"And what do you think of them? of this? anything you are feeling, young padawan?" said an unseen voice.

I turn to see the brown haired woman that I ran from before looking at me, I don't understand why she is here until a memory hits. I sort of remember Kanan finding me in the temple of light's hallway and placing me in a soft bed, also of Kanan talking to someone. She must have been who he was talking to, he must have asked her to look after me. I want to say sorry for running from her before, but it looks like I don't need too.

"What I think? what I think is that I scared them as much as I was scared in that place and this is their way of healing that pain,that is what I think"I told her, happy that I could tell someone something about what I was feeling.

The brown haired lady nodded "might be true, but this doesn't make the feelings behind this any less true. By telling you things while you are like this is a way of confessing their anger,pain, and what ever else they need to, to heal" she replied before fading away.

"Ezra, son you had better heal from this because I don't know how I will deal with the others if you don't. I know Kanan or maybe even you one day could tell me that it was the will of the force that you ended up this way, but right now I don't see the point" Hera said, her hand rubbing circles on the back of my hand.

Okay maybe Hera is not my natural mother, but I think I might think of her as my mother from now on and I just have to wait until I have healed to tell her that. I think the day I tell her that will be one of the best days in her life so far, well I hope it will be any way, I know it will be a big day for me any way.

"Hera do you mind if I spend some time with the kid?" asked Zeb coming into the med bay.

"Sure just watch his vitals, I have been seeing some odd movement in some of the stats and I think I might need to talk to Kanan abut it. It might be just a Jedi thing, but I don't think so, just tell me if something happens okay?" Hera said getting up.

"Don't worry I will" answered Zeb, as I felt something flare in my body quickly and then die a way again, as Hera left the room.

That just left me with Zeb, I wasn't sure about that and it must have shown in my vitals because soon Zeb had taken my hand and my vitals went back to almost normal. I don't know why this worked but it did and it seemed to help them out to when they held my hand. Zeb didn't make circles on my hand like Hera and Sabine did, but that didn't matter, just to know he was there was enough for me.

"Easy kid, it's just me. You will be okay, don't tell any one but you remind me of my little brother, he use to find trouble too, usually dumping me in it as well. I became an honor guard because of him. He was killed long before Lasan fell, by a brute's hand, who thought that he was just a wild animal, an orphan without any family of his own" Zeb said sounding sad, his ears falling down on the side of his head, then he carried on "sorry I didn't like you at the start, but karabast don't die on me now".

"I will do my best" I said even though I knew he could hear me.

But as Zeb was telling me his tale, my vitals that Hera had noted before on the monitors were starting to fall, I was in pain, now I knew what I was feeling all the time while they were talking to me. I was in trouble again, suddenly an alarm went off making Zeb jump out of his set and run to the door of the med bay and scream down the hall way for Hera and Kanan.

"Karabast Hera, Kanan get in here" Zeb yelled.

I heard footsteps, but that meant nothing as I dropped to the floor. I couldn't breathe, my heart was starting to beat too fast and there was pain flooding my entire body. Something was happening to me and I didn't like it, so I yelled through the force.

 _Kanan!_

Only to have him turn up as soon as I yelled it, it was like he knew I was in trouble. His eyes seemed to focus on my spirit form for a minute, so I said...

 _Help me Kanan, your my only hope_

And I knew no more as my heart beat flat lined

 **An: will he or wont he? more soon.**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The choice

Kanan's pov

I watch as my padawan's fading force - like ghost disappeared into nothing before I hear a sound that stops my heart for a moment. A long tone that indicated that something was wrong with my padawan's heart, I am frozen in place for a hyper second, before the moment let's me go and I can start work on getting his heart started and again and work out why it stopped in the first place, right now that is all I can do as I start to pump my kid's chest.

"Hera get Chopper we might need his electric shock to start Ezra's heart if I can't" I yelled out before breathing into Ezra's mouth,and turning my head to watch the kid's chest rise and fall with the air I am forcing into his body.

I hear the door open and close as someone went to get the droid, right now I didn't care who it was I just need to know that I had a back up ready if I couldn't get Ezra to breath on his own. Then I hear something that made me realize that the droid wasn't needed, Ezra's heart had started on it's own. The heart beat monitor showed that the kid's heart beat was irregular like it was working too hard to get going again, but what had done that? then I remember the blood that I had rubbed away from the kid's mouth when I had found him in the bone pit.

"Karabast the kid had internal injuries and I didn't realize it" I said to myself, not really caring if anyone heard me or not.

"You were injured to love, of course you were going to miss things. I think you were just so happy to have him back that you weren't thinking straight" Hera said, placing an arm around my shaking shoulders.

"He is my responsibility and I let him down" I said leaning into the touch.

"Yes he is, just as Sabine is mine, but you didn't let him down, he is still here, still fighting for life, he hasn't given up yet so you don't give up either"Hera replied, as Chopper came in with a frightened beep.

I look up to see Hera's face, she had tears in her eyes and her whole body was shaking. She was right, I needed to trust in the force and my friends and they needed to trust in me, that included my padawan. His life was placed in my hands as soon as he joined me, his parents where ever they are, are trusting that he would live to see them again if they are still alive and at the moment we had no clue only the stuff that tzeeboo told Hera. I need Hera to change her thinking right now if Ezra was going to pull through this, I needed the sky woman to take command, I was starting to form a plan.

"Hera I need you to contact fulcrum, Ezra is going to need a medical facility if he is to survive this"I told her.

"And what are you going to do while I do that?"she asked as she got up.

"I am going to give Ezra a choice" I said as I pulled the spare medical bed over to the boy's side and wrapped my hand in his, as I laid down on it.

"A choice? spill it, what have you got in mind"Hera asked as she went to the door, obviously she wanted to know what she need now while I was still awake to tell her what I was about to do.

"I can't really tell you what I am going to do. It's an old Jedi trick and one that was kind of looked down as it had to do with attachment" I explained.

It was as far as I was will to go with tell her what was about to happen right now. If she really knew what I was about to do she would have my head examined for it. I closed my eyes as I connected with my padawan and from what I could feel he wasn't alone. At first all I could see was cloud and shadow, I couldn't see any of the detail that I usually had when I came to our shared mind scape, then slowly it came into focus as my connection to Ezra became stronger as he recovered a little from what had just happened.

I found Ezra still in my memory of my time in the temple. He was gasping with tears in his eyes, my master was holding him tight trying in her way to calm him down, I didn't realize why she could hold him at the time, but what ever she was doing it wasn't working he needed me. I reached out to touch only to have my hand pass through him, I then realize that at the moment he is still more like Billaba than he was like me. I needed to give him a hold in this life if he was to survive.

"Ezra calm down padawan, I am here" I said closing the gap even more to him and sending warmth through our bond which made his ghost - like form more solid, so solid that I could touch him now as I found out as I placed a hand on his head.

Ezra shook and jumped out of my master's hold and up into mine, making our bond even tighter solidifying Ezra even more. I sat down on the bed, rubbing calming circles onto Ezra's back, calming him even more. It must have been a very scary thing to have nearly died and he might even still be feeling the pain of his injuries, something I would do something about very soon. My plan was going to work and all Ezra need to do was trust in me.

"M...M...Master, what h...happened t..to m..m...me"Ezra said finally getting the words out, he words shaking as he felt more pain flooding his body.

"Ezra you died...just for a minute before I was able to get your heart started again, but it's irregular because I believe you have internal injuries that we didn't realize you had before" I replied as Ezra curled further into me as his shaking became worse.

"Am I going to die again?" he asked, his words muffled by my shirt.

"Not if I can help it" I answered sending more warmth down the bond, which stopped the shaking boy, but not his tight hold my shirt.

"Okay, are we going some where that can heal me?" he asked now that he was a little calmer.

"We are, Hera's looking into it right now with fulcrum's help, but I just don't know if you have that kind of time left for her to find it. So I want to give you a choice of what happens next for you"I replied, holding him even tighter.

"What kind of choice?"Ezra asked now sounding curious about what I was going to say and what he would have to do because of it.

"The choice is...one, you could take a chance that we get to a medical facility in time without help,but as I said I don't know if you have that much time left or two, I could use the bond between us to make sure that you make it there, but that would mean tying my life to yours and if you don't make it, it might mean I would die too" I answered him.

This was a dangerous technique, many Jedi of old that had use this technique had died together because of it, but it was something I was willing to risk to save my padawan, my son. I could tell that Depa billaba didn't like the sound of what I was planing, but she was the one who taught me the technique in the first place. I needed to use it, it was my only hope that he would survive this, if we both would survive it.

"Then don't do it, I will make it. I will hold on until we get there, trust me master. I just can't put your life in danger like that, what kind of Jedi would that make me if I did something that selfish and you did say it was my choice"Ezra replied looking down at his hand in my shirt, his knuckles were white with how tight he was holding on.

"But it is also my choice to make as well and for you I would risk all I had to heal you and we do have Chopper on stand by if one or both of our hearts stop, not that I think they will and don't look at me like that master"I said, forcing Ezra's head up as I spoke.

"Caleb you know this technique is a last resort as I once told you when I taught you the technique in the first place. Masters and their padawans are not suppose to have that kind of attachment, your suppose to trust in the force" Depa said frowning at me.

"I do trust in the force, but something is telling me that this is the right thing to do" I said looking at Ezra again, I could see he didn't have much longer before his heart stopped again.

"But your padawan..."Depa started to say before I interrupted "I must look at the over all picture and weigh up what I know against what I don't and I just know my life would be a darker place without Ezra in it. He saved me from my own darkness, even though I had the crew, not one of them could understand what it like to be a force sensitive in this age, I was alone until Ezra came into it".

"M...Master y...you f...feel that w...way about me?"asked a shaky Ezra, although this time it wasn't because of pain, it was because of emotion.

"It is and it is not only me that feels that way, think about what you have learned about the crew, what you have heard and felt, you will see I am right"I said placing my forehead to his.

I could see him thinking over all that he knew of the crew, of everything, then in a soft voice he said "then do it Kanan, but make me a promise that if I start to weaken to a point that I am going to die...don't save me, let me go so I can become one with the force".

I sigh and say "even though I don't want to make that promise, I will do as you ask, but I will do everything in my power to stop you from joining the force, even if I have to hold the link past what is safe".

"Fine, do it" he answers.

"Good I will tell the others what is going on first just in case something goes wrong, then come back here to make the link. You may or may not remember what happened afterwards, what I did to save you but trust me, I am going to save you"I said before leaving Ezra in Depa's hands and going back to talk to the others.

Hopefully they have found what we need to save Ezra and the link will not be needed but the likelihood of that is a million to one, so I was glad that I was going to be Ezra's life line until they do, just like he was mine.

 **An: I couldn't do it... someone else is going to have their pov next time.**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A tie to life

Depa's pov

I held the youngling tight as Caleb... no Kanan faded away to talk to the rest of his unit. The youngling was holding on, but the tie to life was light fleeting, he didn't have long and while I didn't like what my padawan was going to do for his padawan I could understand why he was doing this. Would I have done the same for Kanan? no I don't think so...as much as I cared about him, if it was his time to go, then I would let him go, but I would not stop him from what he was about to do.

"K...k...kanan?" the youngling said softly.

"Don't worry small one your master will be here soon" I coo to the boy, calming the youngling down, making his breath come out easier then what it was before.

I didn't think I would ever get why my padawan would take on a boy that was so much older than any that would have been at the temple, but then to find a force sensitive that had little corruption was a blessing in itself. A lesson learned is a lesson earned, went the Jedi saying and I guess I was learning it now all Jedi were, besides there was no accounting this boy's true heart, for a true heart should never be doubted, both in this youngling and in my padawan.

Hera's pov

I walked into the medbay after talking to Fulcrum, they had given me a place to take Ezra, but the problem was getting to it and unless Kanan had a plan to help Ezra's life, I just didn't think he would be alive when we got there, but it was our only shot at saving the boy. I turned my head to see Kanan waking up, he was still holding Ezra's hand, I could even feel something going on between them,not that I thought what I was feeling was anything like they felt in the force, but call it a mother's instinct I just knew something was happening between them.

"so have you come up with a plan? because I think we have somewhere to take Ezra to heal him"I said as I came closer and Zeb and Sabine who were in the room at the time watched on intently.

"I do"Kanan said and he started to explain what he was going to do.

I didn't like the sound of it, but it sounded like it was the only choice we had if we were to save the boy's life. I looked at Kanan as he talked everything over, going over everything that might go wrong, and what we should do if it did. I sighed placing one of my boys in harms way was bad enough, but now there was going to be two of them, I just had to trust that they were going to be alright and they had to trust me to get them to the medical planet.

"So this link will really help give Ezra more time?" I asked, making sure that there was no chance that there was something that he could have missed.

"Yes my body will help keep his going, my heart will help his beat etc, but this technique is dangerous for me and him, as I have said it could kill us both, but I do believe it is his only chance that he will survive this"Kanan answered.

I started hooking up the medical equipment to Kanan as well, making sure that I would be alerted to something going wrong with him, just as we were when Ezra's heart stopped before. I thought before he went back into his Jedi trance that I had better tell him of what Fulcrum had just told me, so that he can tell Ezra and if they felt anything going on out here they would know why.

"Love, Kanan before you start as you know that Fulcrum has given us a place where we can go to get help for Ezra and now I guess it could be for you too, but there is a problem" I said, not wanting to give him anything to worry about than what he was doing.

I watched as Kanan raised an eyebrow "what was that?" he asked, and I blushed a light green.

"We have a problem, there are tie fighters between us and the planet that we need to get too, at least there is no star destroyers. I don't think it will be a major problem, I don't know how this Jedi trance stuff works, just that if you feel bumps and loud bangs, that's what we are doing, killing a few ties, something I am sure Zeb will love to do"I replied.

"That's fine. I know you can get through the tie fighters alright, I trust you and I know Ezra does too, so don't you worry about Ezra and I we will be fine" Kanan said before laying back and closing his eyes.

I watched them for a moment, then I realized something the link must have been made, already the kid's color was better and his breathing had evened out and even his heart beat was stronger. So whatever Kanan had done to make this link had saved Ezra's life for now, now it was time for me and the rest of the crew to do the same.

Sometime later we were flying through hyperspace, I knew we were coming up on the planet and I had a plan to get through the ties depending on how many there were and what else was there. That was something that Fulcrum couldn't tell us at the time and we didn't have Kanan's flexible mind to come up with something on the fly if we needed to, but even so I knew we could do this.

"Hera those ties are going to get every big in the viewer soon and with Kanan out of action we need you up here"yelled Sabine.

"On my way" I yelled back leaving the two sleeping Jedi, that I had been with while we had a little down time while in hyperspace.

I was at the controls by the time we exited hyperspace. There were at least ten ties and a freighter in our way, but that was not going to stop us, Kanan and Ezra were trusting us to get them through and while I knew it was going to be difficult, it was not impossible to get through, not for this crew when lives of those we cared about were on the line.

"Zeb tower, Sabine nose guns, Chopper rear guns" I barked out where they were to go.

"Hera it is not as easy for me to fit in here" Zeb called out as he tried to get in the tower guns seat.

"Zeb I need you up there. Sabine and Chopper can't do it, that gun needs someone with the strength to handle the recoil and that someone is you" I told him.

"When you put it that way but kriff don't make me go up here again, unless there is no other choice. I just don't fit as well as Kanan does" Zeb replied. as he finally settled in the seat.

"Fine, next time you shouldn't have too"I answer, then was shaken by a blast from the tie fighters in front of us. I fought with the controls as the wave from the blast vibrated around the ghost.

I look around to the tower guns as Zeb shot back at the tie fighter, who was slower to react, causing the fighter to tear violently apart. Just then a long, range beam slammed into the Ghost's hull, it came from the freighter. That ship was more than just a transport for ties and other things, that thing could fight as well, this might be more difficult than I thought.

"This is going to be close"I thought as I flew the Ghost in for a tighter shot.

Kanan's pov

"Well that was a close one" I thought as I cradled Ezra in my arms.

It had been a close call, Ezra had nearly died again before I had made the life - force connection to my padawan. His heart beats were like a bogwings' wings, light, fast and fluttering like he didn't have to many beats left. I made the connection, and what I felt before was right, the boy is bleeding internally and without correct care would die, but that was before now he had time.

"K...Kanan"Ezra said softly.

"Shhhh Ezra its okay, we are okay" I told him.

I knew why he woke up from his twilight sleep that I had him in after the life bond was made, Hera and the others must have emerged from hyperspace and are fighting to get to the planet's surface. I wanted to be with them but what I was doing here was more important and I could see by the look on my master's face that I was right in doing this, no more younglings lost to force, nt if I could do something about it.

"W...What's h...happening?" he asked curling closer to me, the life bond doing its job, using my strength, my life force to heal and strengthen what it could.

"Hera must have got us to the planet that has a place where we can heal, both physically and mentally" I answered curling my arms around him more, as another blast hit the ship outside our trance placed temple.

I see the boy look down and his eyes widen in shock at the blue force line that leads from my heart to his and his to mine. I can tell he is unsure about what this means, like I thought he would, his memory is a little hazy on the details that we talked about, but I am not, I will never regret what I did to save his life.

"Kanan what is that?"Ezra asks now.

I smile, the first smile I have had since I was freed, since Ezra was freed. He is so much like me and I remember as I am sure my master is remembering what this padawan is most like my nature. Master Depa always told me about my questioning nature, it seems a lot of padawans are like this, or maybe its just Ezra and I.

So instead of answering the question about the bond, I ask one of my own "describe what you feel Ezra?" echoing my master from so long ago.

"I feel like my pain is going away, my head feels clearer, but also I feel warm, loved... which is really odd for me because I am not use to it. I can't help thinking..." Ezra said before I interrupted him "glad that you have finally found your place to belong" thinking on the feeling that I felt when I was asked a similar question.

"Well yes" he answered.

"Good I am happy that you have and that you found it faster than me. It took a lot of searching to find my place and get the last piece of the puzzle" I said.

"Me?" he asked, looking up into my eyes.

"You" I answered, meeting his gaze.

"And that line from your heart to mine" he started to say before I said "yes that is the life bond keeping you alive, but don't worry its not staying, it is just there to keep you stable until you don't need it anymore".

"And when will that be?".

"Once we get you to the medical facility, the life bond will disappear but as for stop needing me? well that is up to you" I answered, looking at the boy, the closest thing I had to a son and I knew I will never stop needing him and because of the bond now he knew it too.

Depa's pov again

I watched the master and the apprentice settle down to wait out the moments until they could relax about what was going on in the outside world. I heard what my padawan said to his padawan and what his padawan said back. I am afraid that these two are to close and should something happened, well I am just glad that I am just a memory. These two are powerful and what they could do, will make the empire weak at the knees, but still time will tell.

 **An:hope I did depa right, more soon, and OMG! season three trailer WOW!**


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Memories

Hera's pov

"Well that was a close one" I thought as we landed on the hospital's ship pad.

The medics came running out as soon as we called for them. They wanted to separate the two Jedi, but I knew that wasn't a good thing, Ezra would die without Kanan being there, so the medics arranged the two jedi on a stretcher together until their main doctors could look at what the problem was. We of course had told them all we could about what had happened, hoping this would help them heal my two boys faster.

"Miss Hera, was it?" asked one of the medics that came out to us where we were waiting in the waiting room.

"Yes that's me, can you tell us what is going on with our friends?"I enquired of him as he came closer to me.

"I can, the man will be alright, but I think you knew that. The boy which by the way the man wouldn't let go of even in the brief period that we were able to awake him to tell him the boy had to go to surgery to fix the internal injuries, kept mumbling something about he was keeping his boy alive. So we did the surgery around him lucky that the injury that we had to fix was on the side that the man wasn't" the medic answered.

"So they will be fine now?"asked Sabine, who was digging her nails into Zeb's arm drawing blood, poor Zeb looked like he was going to need a medic himself soon if Sabine didn't let go.

"After sometime in a bacta tank, again we had to find one the was big enough for both of your friends. It's fine, from what I have been told he wouldn't be the first father that couldn't let go of their son, even when they are dealing with injuries themselves, scared that their child will die if they are not there, and sometimes it does help the child stay stable while we do what we need to do" the medic said before starting down a hallway,pausing long enough so we knew we could follow him to Kanan and Ezra.

We found the two Jedi as the medic told us they would be. The two males had been placed in a large bacta tank which supported the two of them with enough space for a third, something we should find or steal in the future with the number of injuries this crew gets and likely to get in the future. Not this one though, I am sure we could learn of one sooner or later through our network in the rebellion. Kanan had Ezra wrapped up in his arms and even from here I could tell Ezra was looking a lot better, his color was back and he was resting without pain.

Ezra's pov

"Easy padawan, take things easy now"Kanan said

My breath is stronger now, my heartbeat too, I guess Hera got us to the medical center fine, so now Kanan doesn't need the life bond there in place anymore to save my life, but didn't mean I still didn't need him next to me, his breath blowing softly against my face, calming, soothing in a way that nothing else could. Kanan let the life bond weaken again, but he said he wouldn't release it completely until we woke up from our mind scape.

I saw Kanan and that brown haired lady talk again before she faded away, I wondered what he said to her. In a way I wanted to talk to her again too, to thank her for keeping me alive when Kanan couldn't, and apologize to her for running away from her before, I can't think what she thought of me for that, but I guess if she is apart of this place I will run into her sometime in the future and I can say everything I didn't get to say to her.

Then suddenly a flash of a memory of my time on Kaller, of the bone pit, of everything that had happened and I started to tremble, shivers went through my body and I just couldn't stop. Then I felt arms go around me and a soft voice in my far keeps telling me that he is here, that I am not alone and that I am safe, but I just don't know if I will ever feel safe again.

I start to struggle against the hold, I can't take it my memories will not let me have the comfort that I so need. The memories are coming thick and fast as the feeling of safety fades even more as I start to remember being beaten by the guards, of my voice screaming out as the whip hits my back, of the chains weighting me down, just like the weight of the hold I am in, I wasn't safe then I am not safe now.

"Yes you are because as long as I live, for as long as I can, for as long as I am able, you will never have to face anything like that again" said Kanan still holding me tight.

I tighten my hand in his shirt as my breath came faster, gasping now. I knew something was wrong with me, but there was nothing I could do for myself. I couldn't breath, it felt like I was dying again, I could hear Kanan talking to me, but I couldn't hear him. I tried to calm myself down, but it wasn't working, my heart was beating faster and I could feel phantom pains all over my body.

"Ezra breath with me, listen to the way my breath comes in and out. Time your breathing slowly in, slowly out and repeat, try not to think of the bad things about that place, only think of the good things, I know you had some"Kanan said as he continued to help me recover from my attack.

I did as he said and I started to breathe again,timing it to kanan's breathing helped, almost like we were mediating together, something I still had trouble with, but now I think I will be able to do better at that. Slowly I felt better, then I remember the kid I helped and the green light saber that I had found. I could feel the crystal curling it's own energy around my weaken body.

"Was it really your master's saber Kanan?" I asked curling into him now that my attack had past.

I knew that he had told me before that it was, but maybe he was just saying that to give me something to hold on to, to give me the strength that he wasn't able to give at the time and now he could because we were together again. Maybe it was someone else's saber, I mean green and blue were common colours for sabers weren't they? but somehow I didn't think so, Kanan told me the truth when I needed it, didn't he?

"It was and is my master's saber and I am glad you found it, for your sake as well as mine. I thought I would never have a piece of my master's things back again, but seeing it, knowing that in a strange way my master helped you on Kaller, just like she helped me" Kanan said curling me into him a little more.

"Master what happened that day? with your master I mean?" I asked, now looking up into his blue green eyes, but seeing that they were misted with pain I continued "Kanan don't worry, you don't have to tell me now".

"Ezra, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but like you with your memories of being a slave, that memory is locked up tight and I am not ready to face it yet" he answered looking away to where his master faded away, almost like he was wishing she was still here.

"What are you ready to face then, if you are not ready to face that?" I said curious about what could be going through his head, even though we were kind of in his head at the same time we were in mine, also hoping to take his mind of what was now hurting him.

"I am ready to face my enslavement and yours... Ezra don't worry if that is another memory that is locked away right now, but I will tell you about what happened to me" Kanan said, looking back to me, his mouth turned up in a little smile.

Kanan's pov

"Can you?" Ezra asked, one of his hands going to his shoulder as shifted out of my arms.

I knew why he did that and it didn't matter that he had one because now I had one too, it was time to tell him of it, of all that happened and of the kid that I had helped. Thinking of that place, of all that it taught me about myself and about the people that lived like that all the time. The jedi of old should have cleaned these places out years ago, long before order 66 happened. I know they stopped some of them, but obviously some slipped through their notice.

"You bet I can, I am not saying that it wasn't hard but I knew the others would come and I just had to last until then" I said then pulled off my shirt so that he could see what was on my arm.

"Is that a fire brand? but that looks like..." Ezra started to say before his voice trailed obviously thinking of his own brand rubbing his shoulder where his brand was.

"That's right it is the same design as yours. I think my enslaver and your original slaver may work together, but that doesn't matter, I don't mind having it and I was able to help a boy deal with what had happened to him, in a way it was like I was helping you"I said putting my shirt back on.

"Kanan I want to tell you properly what happened to me, but how to say it, I just don't know what to do" said Ezra looking over at the where the chained doors were only to find there was a new one added to them.

"Say what you can, I don't need the details if you can't say them but I think the over view of what happened will make you feel better and it will tell me of what happened so I can help you deal with it" I said.

"Okay I will tell you, I just can't show you. To see it again after it nearly killed me" he said shuddering and then continued "at the start it was okay, kept myself out of trouble, but like always trouble found me. There was this one guard that seemed to like taking the whip to me, well to anyone really, anyone of the slaves that got in his way or anything that he saw was wrong with how things were running, he would pick out a slave to beat, whether or not that slave had done anything wrong" he puts his arms around himself.

I put my arms around him again giving him the support that he needed to get the rest of the story out. I look over at the doors and found that one of the door's chains had changed color, instead of gold like the other door. This door was chained in silver and even the chain itself was light weight, it wouldn't be too long before he showed me the memory, not that I would force him to show it to me.

"Kanan when I said trouble usually finds me I mean it and in that place that was no exception. It wasn't too long in that place that the guard started to use his position to hit me and it wasn't long after that I found the light saber just when I was feeling like I wanted to give up, you don't know how happy I was to find it, even though it was broken it still gave me the strength to carry on. It was then that I was able to sort of contact you even though I was weakening" he said shivering violently.

The next part must be hard for him, suddenly I didn't need anymore and even though this was suppose to be my memories that I was telling him he had needed to say his first "Ezra, son that's enough, don't say anymore, I don't need to know" but then he interrupted " but I think I need you to know".

"Fine what happened next?" I asked,even though as I said I didn't need to know.

"Well I saw a kid that was being abused upon and I stepped in to stop it. One time in my life I wouldn't have done it but now I did, I guess I have been around you too long. Anyway the guard started on me, I guess I blacked out soon after because I don't remember too much after that, only that the kid was trying to help me heal, then being dragged off to the bone pit, then you finding me, that's all I can remember for now" he finished.

"That's alright the rest of the details will come when you want to remember them" I said curling the boy I cared about so much in my arms as we sat in comfortable silence as we healed.

 **An: how was that?**

 **preview next chapter: they did what?!**

 **That right this series favorite cockroach Dale gets his own chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Dale returns

Dale pov

"They did what?!" my voice rising in pitch before lowering and ending in a growl.

That underling that had entered, he back away as I lost it at him. I growled more and chucked a chair across the room then I carried on smashing more things as the words hit home. I could just see the underlings hands shaking and that started to snap me out of it, this was not going to get me the information that I needed. I needed to have a level head if I was going to get my revenge on the ones who did this to my business.

"The insurgents took over the main base on Kaller, freed all the slaves there and not only that one, all the camps on Kaller" the underling said again licking his lips.

I could see that the man wanted to leave that this wasn't where he wanted to be, that my tantrum before had done something to his courage in telling me this, but I needed the facts, I needed to know who did this because up until now the reports had been few and far between. I knew I had lost the camp on Lothal but that didn't matter as much as the ones on Kaller, those were more productive, those gave my business more wealth, gave me more wealth than any other.

"Who lead the attacks on Kaller?"I asked with only a little growl in my voice, frightening the man more wouldn't get me my answers.

"A man lead them my lord"he answered.

"Do you have a description of him?" I asked now.

I had a funny feeling that I knew who it was,but I needed it confirmed by the underling. If it was who I thought it was maybe I should have done things differently. If I had maybe I wouldn't be forced to do what I was thinking of doing, but then maybe not, maybe things would have still turned out like this. Now it was time to take back what was mine.

"Tall,green - blue eyes, dark brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, he was wearing green clothes with armor on the shoulder. He was working with a mandolarian and a lasat" he answered.

I didn't know the mando or the lasat, but I was right, the man that I thought of before and this man brought back memories of the father back at the slave yards and how we caught him by using his boy to bring him under my control.

"It has to be him" I thought.

"Who my lord?"the underling asked.

I ignored him. The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. If we hadn't been holding his boy or if his boy had been stronger when they tried to escape before they were separated then this wouldn't have happened. All my planning, all my business undone by a father and his weakling of a boy, now I had to make sure that it never happened again.

"Tell me the site that was hit on Lothal, did it just get new slaves?" I enquired.

"Yes my lord" he answered.

"Then it was him. He got away and somehow found out where his boy was, maybe not the camp where the boy was but at least the planet. Which would lead him to go after all the camps to find his son" I said to nobody, just to myself, but the underling asked a question anyway.

"But my lord, no slave could have done this. Some of the guards are reporting that the leader was a Jedi...but how could that be? the Jedi haven't been around for fifteen years" the underling said.

"The Jedi have been known for their smarts. I wouldn't be surprised if there weren't some hiding just waiting for the chance to get some revenge on the empire or anyone really, and I wouldn't blame them" I answered although not really answering just thinking out loud.

"Master Dale if they got a Jedi?"

"Then there would be no chance to get more slaves in this sector. We will have to move the ones we have or risk loosing them all and I don't want to loose that amount of profit, if they did have a Jedi that is" I said moving to the star map that showed all the campsites.

I was still angry over loosing that blue eyed child twice now,first on his own without his father, I wonder how the kid ended up on the streets without him, ran a way maybe, just like he ran a way that time and the next well... it was like that brat had a way of escaping from anyone or anything. Not always by his choice, but still had a way of getting what he wanted. It was like he had something, something that was like the Jedi had, not that the brat was a Jedi but still it was something.

Not this time, this time I will find that kid, kill him in front of his father, then kill his father. No one does this to me, not my workers and definitely not some kriffing slave boy. No he will die and be left somewhere, where all could see him and know that you don't cross me. I own that boy and his father and I will do what I want to them. All who cared about them, helped them or what ever happened that day will remember my name.

"And tell everyone to keep an eye out for that raven haired, blue eyed brat from Lothal. He is not going to like what I am planning"I said and then smiled as the underling ran out of the room scared.

Far away a Jedi master woke up from his position by his padawan's bedside. He felt something or someone, what ever they were planning, what ever they were doing, it wasn't good news. It could be something dangerous for Ezra and he has been through enough for now. I wouldn't allow Ezra to fall into any more traps like this, not if I could help it.

"Love what's wrong? is there something going on with Ezra? is he alright? should I get someone?" Hera said throwing question after question at the Jedi.

"No, Ezra's fine, sleeping at the moment.I am thinking he was glad when I let the life - line bond drop away yesterday. It's not completely gone, it will never be completely gone but neither of us knew that, that it could happen. I only started that part of my training when order sixty - six came down, so I wasn't completely sure of what would happen only that I had to do something" said Kanan sitting down again.

Ezra was starting to move a little in his sleep, as if he felt the bad vibes that Kanan had just felt. Kanan ran a hand through the boy's hair soothing him, and on the other side of the bed, Hera had taken the boy's hand, drawing circles on the back of his hand, soothing him in her own way.

"Shhss Ezra sweetie, sleep, your safe, no one will find you here" Hera said softly.

"Mom he's after me again"Ezra mumbled, his breath picking up again, like he was having a panic attack in his sleep.

"Ezra don't worry, your not alone. I am here, Kanan is here. We will not let him harm you or anyone again"Hera said.

"Hera is right son, she is always right"Kanan said running his hand through Ezra's hair again.

And soon the young padawan's breathing settled as he slipped back into sleep. Kanan looked at the young teen knowing that this promise would not always be true, but for this person, no this monster called Dale, it would always be true, Ezra would never have to face him alone.

"Sleep well my son, we will be here when you wake. I...we will never leave you"Kanan said.

Kanan could still feel the bad vibes through the force, but he muted them so that Ezra could sleep. He knew the boy would need as much sleep as he could to recover what he lost because of the slave master Dale.

 **An: sorry for taking so long on this chapter, life and things got in the way. Hopefully I will be able to update more from now on.**


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Recovering and moving on

Ezra's pov

"So our bond, it's stronger? the life force bond didn't fade away?" I asked Kanan.

We were now in Kanan's memories after days of not really being anywhere while I recovered enough to take holding images for any length of time. Right now we were on top of a tall tower in the middle of a city on what Kanan told me was Coruscant. Kanan had said he had brought me here because to him this view showed Coruscant at it's best, before the empire had a chance to ruin it all.

I could see the Jedi temple from here in all it's glory, the school that I would have gone to if the empire had not taken over. What my life would have been like then? I didn't know, karabast who knows what would have happened to any of us. I don't think Kanan would have been my master, who knows if he and I would have even known each other. As for the others I might have come across them one day, but I do think I would have known who they were.

"Maybe, maybe not Ezra. I think we would have known each other, at least you and I. As for being your master I believe I was always meant to be your master, otherwise we would not have found each other. As for the crew, who knows, the force works in mysterious ways, I think some thing would have happened to draw us to them" Kanan told me as he put his arm around my shoulders and drew me into his side.

"True"I said not sure whether I believed him or not.

"Any way back to the bond, in a way the bond is stronger because of the life force bond not completely fading away" Kanan said.

"Why is that? I don't understand?" I said interrupting him.

"Well the life force bond did fade to a point, as in our lives are not tied together any more, but it did strengthen what was already there naturally, boosting it. It gives us strength that we never knew we had, in knowing where the other is at a distance and maybe one day being able to speak to each other like this, mind to mind, in the waking world. It was a rare skill in Jedi, not many masters and their padawans could do it, but I am sure that one day we will" Kanan explained taking his arm from my shoulders, placing it instead on his knee and resting his head in his hand.

"Strength like that...how does that work? and what other things will happen with other bond?and will they strengthen over time too?"I asked curious now.

"I think that is something that we will have to find out over time and I know that it frustrates you as much as it frustrates me, but I am going off what I learned in the last few weeks before my master died" Kanan replied.

"I suppose... but you know what Kanan" I said smiling now in spite of myself.

"No what my foolish padawan son" he said smiling a little now too.

"It's nice to know we will be learning these things together, I am not the only student here" I replied, making Kanan laugh, then he sighed.

"Ezra its time for us to wake up. I have been checking on your physical body since I healed you and its as strong as it is going to be. You need to wake up, your mind is healed as much as it is going to be too. It's time to open your eyes, the others need to know that you are going to be alright as well and not just hear it from me".

"I guess your right" I said sighing a little, knowing that he is right about going back, but I know it's going to hurt a lot.

"Ezra I feel your fear, yes it will physically hurt you to wake up, but it will also mentally hurt the rest of the crew if they can't talk to you" Kanan said before fading a way.

I looked out a the fading Coruscant city scape again before willing myself to wake up. At first I didn't see anything and the only thing I could feel was Kanan nearby, but then I turned my head a little and saw the real Kanan by my side. I flinched a little, as even that little movement caused my body to send pain to my brain, I could also see by the way Kanan flinched that he felt what I felt too.

"Ezra? Ezra sweetie, are you wake now? can you hear me? please answer me baby" said a voice on the other side of my bed.

I turn my head slowly trying to avoid pain again and I saw Hera, she had tears in her eyes. I wanted to say something, but what? how could I tell her anything that would comfort her, when I barely knew what comfort was myself. I could feel Kanan sending warmth down the bond to me making me feel better, was this what comfort was? was that what I needed to do for Hera?

"Hera what's with the waterworks" I said, earning a crushing hug from Hera and more tears from her eyes. I knew then that I was home, that my home was forever more going to be with the crew of the Ghost where ever that may be.

Days past since I woke up and the amount of time I could stay awake was increasing. I could now move my body a little without pain. Kanan had told me that they had found out why I had nearly died again when my heart stopped was because apparently I had an internal injury close to my heart and that was what made my heart work too hard, which lead to my heart failing.

"Ezra we will have to leave this place soon,we almost have been here too long already, the empire has not made a move yet but it will. We knew we had to wait until you were a wake and stronger,but that time is nearly up. Thankfully it does not look like we have to wait much longer until we can move you, the healers here have said that you are healing well and should be able finish up on the Ghost" Kanan said moving to my side and helping me to sit up.

"Plus I don't think they want to deal with Zeb any longer" I said thinking of the lasat and how he could be when you made him stay in one place for any length of time.

"Your right about that. Zeb has been getting on peoples nerves, but then lasats are not meant for places like this, at least not for long" Kanan told me.

"How is everyone else?" I asked.

"The same, Sabine's painting up a storm in her room, won't let anyone see what she is painting, says that she wants you to be the first one to see it, Hera's just hoping it's not going to happened to her room and speaking of Hera, she has been mothering you a bit, whether you are awake to see it or not and even when you are not awake she is asking me how you are doing"Kanan replied, acting a bit like Hera was getting on his nerves too, not just Zeb.

"And Chopper?"

"Well the little guy misses you, that's for sure. I just think he misses someone to play pranks on and with" Kanan replied.

"Yeah I will get right on that" I replied back, thinking on how much I still had to do to the droid, and how much I was looking forward to it.

"Kanan, the child I saved, is he alright?" I asked unsure if I still saved his life after nearly giving up my own.

"Ezra, the boy is fine. Fulcrum has taken him and the rest of the ex - slaves away to re - home them or maybe even find out if they still have family because as I found out when the crew rescued me, some of the slaves had families to go back too" Kanan said taking my hand.

"Good, I was worried that what I did got him in more trouble"I said feeling Kanan squeezing my hand in reassurance.

"Ezra, you have no idea how proud I am of you because of that. You acted like the Jedi knight I know you are becoming. You stood up for that child when many others would have turned away" Kanan said as he pulled me into a hug.

All of a sudden it was too much and I buried my face in his shoulder, sobbing. The memories were sting me like so many bees, and they kept coming, they just would not stop. The images, flashed, the voices shouted in my mind. I struggled in Kanan's hold trying in my own way to run a way from these pains, but Kanan didn't loosen his hold.

"Shhhsssss my son, Shhhssssss. It's okay, we are okay. Let go of all that pain, I am here to take all that darkness from you, you are safe" Kanan said rocking us back and forth in a calming motion.

Slowly I was able to gain control of my pain, then I went inside my mind for some peace, only to find a door that lead to my enslavement memory slightly open. I closed it, but then flinched as the memory tried to open up again, I threw stronger chains, and a wolf padded over to guard the door, to keep it closed until I was ready to open it. When that would be, I didn't know, but I did know even now that it was a memory that I would only ever share with Kanan, only Kanan would ever understand what this memory would mean.

 **An: Ezra's awake and recovering. the past two episodes...the feels.  
**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Laughter that chases the dark

Kanan pov

"It has taken sometime, but Ezra's back his wobbly feet, although he doesn't seem to mind that Sabine's the one supporting him as he learns to walk again" I said smiling as Ezra stumbled into Sabine before she righted him again as we made our way back to the Ghost.

Ezra was finally strong enough to leave after waking up about a month ago and it was a good thing too because it was becoming a little too dangerous for us to be here any longer and there was nothing about Ezra's recovery that could not be done on the ship, also by the activity we have seen around here the past few days it looks like the healers here want to move the station again before the empire finds them. The only reason they did not was because of people like Ezra, to fragile to move so soon.

I see Ezra's head pop up from his feet as the Ghost comes into view, _Home_ I hear him say in my mind. I smile at that and I am not the only one, Hera is watching him too, she watches as his face as it lights up and he really smiles for the first time since he woke up. Then she smiles, a smile I have not seen for a long time, I don't know how the others are feeling about all of this but to me Ezra saying _Home_ doesn't just cover the Ghost, it's means everybody that lives within her and now everyone is home.

"It is nice to see him like that, isn't it love?" asked Hera even though she knew what my answer would be.

I turned my head to look at her and realize that she really wants to be by Ezra's side. She is in full mother hen mode, but then she isn't the only one. I want to be up there too, but I know I can move fast enough to catch Ezra if the walk becomes too much. Even with Sabine holding him, he is weakening fast and if he should fall the wrong way, it could set back his recovery and that is something we all want to avoid.

"It is, I can feel how happy he is right now and I think we should do something that would heal him even faster, something as a family maybe or something like that" I said then moved from Hera's side before she could answer me. Ezra was starting to really wobble and it looked like Sabine was having some trouble balancing him, the walk like I thought was becoming too much for him.

"I've got him Kanan...stop being such a...I don't know...such a space dad"said Sabine from Ezra's right side.

I could see she had tightened her hold on his waist, while he had an arm around her shoulders, his feet were barely walking in a straight line any more and as much as it would annoy both teens I had to step in and help the boy out. Maybe I was being a space dad, but Ezra is and will always be mine, no matter what happens to us in the future, this was one fact that will never go a way. We might fight, one of us could fall to the dark or we both could, we could even die, but in a way we will always be there for each other.

"I know, but Ezra wanted to walk into the Ghost, not crawl and with both of us here he can" I replied from Ezra's left side, supporting him just under his shoulders, while his others arm went around my waist.

"D...don't I...I...I get a say?" said the young man between us, his words stumbling as much as his feet.

"No... just letting you walk up to the ship I knew was likely going to be too much and once we are in there I want no protests as I carry you to our room" I said looking at the young man again,maybe I was being a space dad again, but I couldn't help noticing it wasn't just his words and strength failing him right now, he was paling quickly.

"Fine master, I don't think I could do much more anyway" he answered as his feet finally hit the ramp of the Ghost.

Soon I had him up in my arms and in his bed in our room. It didn't take too long before he was sleeping again, the walk really did wear him out. I stayed with him for a while, feeling his force signature that had been murky with pain, smooth and even out, and mine settled now that he was safe in bed. In time he would be alright.

"Kanan I think Ezra isn't the only one who needs sleep, love get some sleep for yourself too. You have barely slept, eaten or anything for yourself since you were rescued, rest" Hera said from the doorway.

I guess she was right, I was really starting to feel the effects of the past weeks and realized that I really did need sleep, but that didn't mean I had to leave Ezra's side. Carefully I climbed into bed with Ezra, curling my body around Ezra as he curled into me. He must need to know I was still close and this wasn't still a dream. With a final glance at Ezra I shut my eyes, feeling for the first time that everything was right with the universe.

Well that was until I got to the temple of light within my mind. I knew Ezra was here somewhere, I could feel his signature, but he wasn't in sight and all the memory doors were shut tight, so there were only a few places he could be, one of them I knew had hiding places a plenty and now that I focused on it, I knew he was there. The room with a thousand fountains shimmered and shone with light from the sunlight dancing on the surface of the water that flowed there.

Ezra was here but I couldn't see him, and the more I looked, the more riddikulus I felt. The kid had hidden himself and was obviously laughing at my attempts to find him. "Ezra where are you?" I called out once I stood by the edge of a large crystalline pool, still unable to trace my padawan son properly.

Then I hear a slight movement behind me and see my waywood crew member jump out of a tree and ambush me. I just had time to see the sparkle in his eyes before Ezra pushed me into the pool, just like I did when we first came in here, but this time I pulled him in with me. He wasn't going to get a way with not getting wet too and in here physical injuries didn't matter.

"Ezra!" I exclaimed as the icy water hit my back.

"I got you back master" he said back his eyes full of laughter.

"Oh is that so" I replied, soon a splash war started and just like before we ended up wetter than when we got in, but just like before we were just as happy, maybe even happier.

We carried on like that for a while before even in this place Ezra grew sleepy, the temple was growing foggy as even I started to feel the real need for rest and we both knew it was time to sleep for real. We curled up together under a large tree, our minds if not healed then of we were healing from what we had suffered while we were apart.

The next morning I woke up to find I was still in a bit of a playful mood from last night, so I woke Ezra up by tickling him. He cried out and tried to fight me off while laughing from my torture. We were so engrossed in what we were doing that we didn't hear another fight start on the Ghost until Hera came into our room.

"Kanan, Ezra you are going to want to see this" she said as she stood in the doorway, smiling at the two of us, but whether that was from what I was doing too Ezra or from what ever she had just seen, I didn't know.

I raised an eyebrow at that, but when we went to follow her as she lead the way down the hall I could see that Ezra was falling behind, walking was too much to handle on his own. So I lifted him up onto my back so that we could keep up with Hera and Ezra didn't miss out. When we got the main common room we could see what Hera meant that we didn't want to miss this and I could feel Ezra laughing into my shoulder from his position on my back.

Zeb, Chopper and Sabine were covered in paint of multi colours giving them a very weird look. Zeb looked like he got the worst of it, his fur was bright orange, green and blue. Sabine looked like she was very mad at the two of them, showing her best Hera face. I couldn't help but join my padawan in his laughter.

"So what happened?" asked Hera, over our laughter, even though she knew the answer.

"This rust bucket decided to shock me, so I decided to give chase. As we turned a corner we stumbled and landed in Sabine's paints and got cover in them. Sabine then found us and gave chase herself which only made things worse as she also ended up with paint all over her" replied Zeb looking like he really wanted to use the refresher to clean himself up.

"Is that all?"

"Yes that is all" said Zeb

"You know what, even if that wasn't all, I don't want to know what else there is. Just clean yourselves up and this place too" Hera replied.

I realized as our laughter died down, that this was the best medicine for Ezra that this crew could ever supply. Laughter really did drive the darkness away from one's mind, I knew it would take more than that, but it was a start, now I just needed to find a way of continuing the healing process.

"Kanan do I have to go back to bed now that I am up?" Ezra asked.

"No why do we go down to the planet's surface. You could practice walking and getting your strength back up. I don't want to carry you around forever, even though a like having you close to me your weight will come back with time and I am sure you are missing your home planet" I said as I walked down to the cargo holds ramp button.

"Lothal? we are on Lothal?" Ezra asked as I opened the door to the outside world.

"We are" I answered simply.

"Kanan where are we?" Ezra asked as his wobbly feet touch the soft grass.

I was about to answer when I notice a small boy running as fast as he could in our direction with what looked to be his father following close behind. Suddenly I feel a spike of fear coming from Ezra, I turned to him to try and tell him that it was okay, but Ezra backed off, stumbling over his feet to get behind me. I could feel that Ezra was starting to grow worried, not afraid, not now that he was behind me, but still he knew he wasn't well enough to be of much help if a fight happened.

"See Tug I kept my promise, this is my son Ezra" I said as the duo stopped in front of us, trying to tell Ezra in a silent way that these two were okay.

"Kanan your son is acting funny, is he alright?" asked the father as his son came closer to Ezra, who was still not quite holding on to me.

"Maybe not at the moment, but with time and help he will be. Tug can I ask you to help too as we are going to be here for a while" I asked the small boy.

"Sure Kanan I would be happy too" he replied.

"Dad what have you got me into"Ezra complained.

"Something good I hope" I said knowing Ezra would need the help to recover completely.

 **An: will Ezra fully heal? more soon.**

 **AN2:Sorry it takes so long for me to put chapters out, but school exams get in the way. Just know the chapters are coming :)**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

A fear strikes back

Ezra's pov

It was quite dark when I woke up in the morning, I could hear Kanan lightly snoring above me and I was glad that he was getting some sleep. Over the past month that the crew and I have been here, there wasn't a time when Kanan or I didn't have some kind of nightmare that drove us into the temple of light and into the others arms, but what woke me now wasn't something that Kanan could help me with, because I didn't know what it was myself. I quietly got dressed and then left the room and headed outside. Over these past weeks my strength has been returning, same as connection to the force, so much so that Kanan was starting me back on light Jedi training on top of training with Tug.

Tug has been a great help, encouraging me when my strength left me and I had to lean on him to get back to the ghost or just being there for me when I need him to be. Sometimes he spoke to me of what he wanted to do when he got older. "A doctor you?" I asked, he raised his head a little and answered "why not, it could happened", and I could see his point, but with the empire controlling his and others lives that was unlikely, not unless he got away and trained with someone in the rebellion.

But something told me that Tug couldn't help me out with this, so I started with my morning training, starting with a run. I ran and ran until I flopped down on the grass, and that is how Tug found me, on the ground, shaking lightly. I knew what I was trying to do, but a part of me knew that I couldn't run from this problem, I just wasn't ready to face it yet and I didn't know if I ever would be. I was healing, I knew that, but not enough, not enough in body or in mind. The thing that seemed to help me the most was the broken light sabre crystal in my pocket. It had not done anything since I got back with the others, except for giving me warmth when I was feeling cold, but I didn't think that was the only thing I was holding onto it for, I knew somehow that it's story wasn't finished yet.

It was few hours later when I hear "hard at work I see".

I turn and see Hera, Sabine and Kanan walking toward Tug and I. I could see Kanan looking me up and down, checking to see whether I was healed well enough to start training with harder training I was sure. I wondered then whether he had heard me in my sleep this morning or maybe something else was up, my hand started to shake a little the only sign I would show anyone but Kanan that I still wasn't quite right, still I wasn't going to let the others know, I mean Hera might never let me go on a mission again.

"Like what you see, Dad?" I said with a half smile.

"Always son, always, but it looks like you could do a little better. I think it's time to start with those harder training that I was talking about, you are definitely healed well enough to handle them, I think" Kanan said coming closer and putting a hand on my shoulder, telling me silently that I was not going to get a way from him.

"Can I help?" asked Tug.

"Not with these Tug, sorry" Kanan replied.

The kid looked like he didn't like that, and some part of me realized in a way that Tug had become my new best friend and I didn't like seeing him hurt, besides I didn't have a lot of friends about my own age. Sabine is friend too, but it's different with her, she is a girl, someone I like and older than me. Tug is a guy, younger than me, but still had gone through some of the pains that I did at the same age, he understands in a way that Sabine never could.

"Well then Tug if you are not needed here, why don't you come with us? Sabine and I are just going into town for supplies and I am sure we would like a big strong man to help us, especially since the dad and son duo are going to be out of action for a while" Hera asked Tug.

"Sure I would like that" Tug replied his smile which had been gone since Kanan told him he couldn't help me this time, now it returned to its full brilliance.

As they walked off I looked up to Kanan and wondered what he had planned for me. I mean I was walking and running well, I was even lifting objects and things again, okay they were wobbly when they were raised but still I could do it, just like I did when I started my Jedi training with Kanan.

"Kanan what do you have in mind for today's training? something with light sabres, I hope" I said smiling slightly knowing that Kanan wouldn't have planned for that just yet.

"No...well maybe later, I want to talk to you about last night or maybe it was early this morning, I was still half asleep when I felt your fear. I know you had another nightmare and I am not blaming you for having it, but I want to know what it was about and if you can't tell me then maybe you will show me. I am not forcing you to do it, but I know and you do to by now that telling even one person what it wrong is the path to healing"Kanan putting his arm around my shoulders now.

I tensed, then brushed the comfort I so need off and walked away a little from him. I thought about what Kanan just said and what I had learned, and knew that Kanan was right,but the problem was I wasn't sure how to do it. The nightmare that I had wasn't like the ones I had before and it wasn't a Jedi vision. I didn't know what it was, just that it looked and felt different to any thing I have had before.

"Kanan I don't think I can show you that nightmare yet because I don't think it was one, and I know it wasn't a memory , not like the ones we have been seeing, it was like a fear but not, do you understand what I am saying?" I said.

"I do. It's like a worry that you have, that is playing out in your mind, is that right?"kanan said.

"It is but how..."I started to say before Kanan replied "how do I know because I had too, still have them sometimes. During my early years without my master and recently while you were still a slave. Those types of nightmares are common, not just for us".

"How do you deal with them?" I asked turning to look at him.

"By talking, Hera helped me when she could, but sometimes it wasn't enough and even though a part of my nightmares almost came true with you almost dying, still I know they are not visions and until they get into one of those I have to try to work through them"Kanan finished.

"Okay, so what now? you think it will help if I tell you about this vision nightmare thing, but what if it doesn't...what if it makes it worse?" I said, my body starting to really tremble. I could feel the tears building up in my eyes. I could feel...

 _Help me please...I can't..._

"Shhhhh, it's okay, I am here, I have got you now" Kanan said wrapping his arms around me, pulling me down until we were kneeling on the grass. His hand moved up and gently stroked my hair, while the other moved down to my back so that he could hold me closer to him.

I wrapped my arms around him, laying my head on his shoulder, just then my legs gave out and Kanan had the full weight of my weaken body against his, he then settled my small body against his larger one. I placed my hand on his chest, just over where his heart was beating so strong and it was like I was getting courage from it. Was Kanan doing this? was this something to do with our bond? I wasn't sure. but whatever it was, it was helping.

"Kanan I will tell you about it, but just don't think I am crazy alright. Most of this memory nightmare thing can't happen, but it is almost like it's telling me it could happen. Does that make any sense" I said looking up into his eyes.

Kanan moved one hand from my body to my hand that was over his heart. His blue - green eyes said more to me in that moment than any words he said after, but I had heard it does in my mind.

"Okay, so the nightmare went like this...We were back at the slave campsite, but it wasn't only you and I there, it was Hera too. We were already sold to someone that dealt with monster fighting and other things, but before we were to leave, you and Hera had to fight the challengers that our master had set up. Kanan it was my parents...I was forced to watch my new parents battle my old parents...I lost both of you and then I...I...can't" I was starting to loose it.

"Ezra...son...I know what that fear is. You don't want to loose Hera and I like you lost your real parents or having us fight over your love. While I cannot make that promise that these things won't happen, I will do everything in my power to make sure I and Hera are around for a very long time" Kanan replied tightening his hold on me.

I knew by the way he was holding me that we both needed this. Not only for me to recover from my nightmare, but Kanan's too. We stayed like that for a little while, just being a part of each other and the world around us, not asking or expecting anything of each other, just being. It was like mediating, but not.

Well it did until we were interrupted by Tug calling out Kanan's name as he came running up to us. I could tell by the way he was panting that something bad had just happened. Then I saw Kanan look up over the top of Tug's head to realize that Hera and Sabine were not with him. I could feel him tense and his hold on me got tighter. What could have happened to make him like this? but then Tug's words soon answered that question...

"He's got them".

"Who has got them Tug?" Kanan asked, even though we both knew the answer.

"Dale, he took them away"he answered.

My mind, my body my everything just then decided that it had, had enough and I blacked out in Kanan's strong arms, surrendering myself to my Jedi master - almost father and the darkness of not knowing anything more.

 **An:like it?**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Kanan's son

Kanan's pov

I placed Ezra back in his bed back on the ghost, he had fainted and I wasn't surprised, with what he has just told me and the emotions of loosing Hera and Sabine, his mind needed to shut down for a while so that he could process this. Not that I was doing much better, nothing my mind could work out right now, I knew we needed to do something about that monster now, but what...

I looked down at Ezra's sleeping body, even in rest the poor kid wasn't at peace, his trembling body and tense muscles could tell anyone that something bad had happened to him. Once this was done we would work on that, but right now I was glad he was asleep because while I planned how to rescue Hera and Sabine. One thing I knew was that I wouldn't let Ezra be part of this, Ezra had recovered well enough in body, but not in mind. Oh I knew he would protest that he was strong enough, but he wasn't completely back to normal in his mind and that could lead to his downfall and that was something I wouldn't risk again.

"Well Kanan what do we do? I mean, it is just the two of us against who knows how many men that Loth-rat of a snake Dale has"Zeb said once I got back to the common room and with his words Chopper gave an angry beep "sorry Chopper but you are no good for this one... Kanan we need the kid" Zeb finished.

My hands trembled under the table we were sitting at, but I hoped that Zeb didn't notice... I suppose he was right but I really did not want to put him in that position where Ezra might be captured again, not that I would ever allow it to happen. No I would give myself up again first and let Ezra live free before that monster ever touched him again, not that he ever would.

"And I trust you not to let either of those things happen Kanan, but you know you are not going to stop me from coming on this mission to save Hera and Sabine" Ezra said as he came into the room, trying not to show how weak or frightened his was.

Karabast I thought he was going to be out of it for a little longer. I could see he was wide awake now and ready for this. Force was telling me that I was not going to talk him out of it but I was going to try. Having him there, I just didn't know if something happened and I had to choose between him and Hera whether I could make that choice, whether I would make that choice or whether either of them would let me sacifice myself or the other. Ezra and Hera are my life and I knew I could not live without either one of them in it.

I saw Ezra's eyes flick to tug in the corner of the room. The child Tug was too young to help us out but it didn't stop him from being here and I had a feeling that he would be there too, if I let him. Then I had a flash of an idea, I wondered if the boy's father might help us or at least know some people in the area that might help. That would let Tug help, but keep him out of the fighting too, that also gave my a slight idea on what to do with Ezra as well.

"Tug thank you for telling us about Hera and Sabine. I can tell you want to help more, but at the moment you are too young to help us in this fight, and before you throw a fit at me for saying this, there is a way you can help" I told him watching the boy's head pop up.

"What would you have me do?" Tug said curiously.

"Well it is not what you can do, it is what your father can do. Tug I am hoping that your father or his friends can help us free Hera and Sabine" I replied.

"What does that have to do with me? I mean I know Dad will help and I think many of his friends will help too because they have lost people to him too, but still what do you want me to do?" Tug asked.

"Well for starters, someone has to go out there and talk to him and his friends into helping us and I know you can do that without too much trouble"I replied, looking at the child in the eyes and seeing that he understood what I was saying.

"I can do that Kanan. I had better get going on this so you know how many people you have to add to your team" said Tug, his small force signature flashing lighter than it was before as he got to his feet and sprinted out of sight.

"That might work for him, but not for me, Kanan I have to be there, I know I have too" said Ezra coming up and sitting next to me.

Our force signatures hummed for a moment, reminding me of the bond we have, how deep it went and that we are still developing as master and student. I thought on that and realized in a way Ezra had a bond to everyone on the ship. They were not jedi bonds because Ezra and I were the only force sensitives on the ghost, but still they were there. So when Ezra said that he had to be there to help in the rescue of Hera and Sabine, well...

"And you know if you get hurt I am going to feel it and come running, plan or no plan that I might come up with, understand that master, I will be there either way"Ezra said, a little smugly.

"I sighed, the kid had a point too. What would I do if I was in his position, I would rescue him of course and never give up until I did. I mean we had already done that when we saved him from the slave camp and I did it again when I tied his life to mine risking my life, but something I would do again in a heartbeat.

"Alright you can come, but you do as I say, no show boating and if I tell you to run, you run. I don't want to hear any protests about it, I am your master as well as your friend. My first priority is that you survive this, understand Ezra" I said looking in the boy's eyes making sure the message got through.

"Kanan I..." Ezra started to say before he sighed and then said " I understand master".

"Be sure that you do and Ezra why don't you rest up until we hear from Tug. We can't plan much until we know how many of us there are going to be, also you look like you are about to fall" I said looking the kid up and down, he didn't want to show it but he was trembling, worse than I was before he came in.

Ezra nodded then left Zeb and I alone. I could tell Zeb wanted to talk about what just happened, but at the moment I didn't want to hear it. I had enough to deal with and having the big purple cat man pointing out things that I already knew, wasn't going to help me much and force knows what is going on in Ezra's head because right now he has blocked it off from me.

"Boss are you sure about this? about the kid joining us in this fight. I know I said we need him and I know he has healed from everything physically, but I can see mentally he is not ready and may never be" Zeb asked.

"Its one of the questions I had going through my head before saying yes to Ezra. Physically he is almost back to normal, we will probably even start soon again on light sabre forms, but you are right mentally he is not ready" I replied, before turning my head towards my and Ezra's room. Ezra was screaming, both with his voice and in the force, he was locked in one of his nightmares again.

I sent out calming waves to him, which soon had him deeply asleep. I looked back to Zeb and realizing he was watching the monitors. Tug was back, that kid was fast, but not only that he had brought a small army with him. That could not have been all him, he must have had help to get this many people to come or maybe it was the will of the force that made them do it, but that didn't matter, what did was that we had the numbers we needed.

"Looks like the little brat did alright, and here's me thinking he was just another Ezra" Zeb said.

"Knew he would" I answered still thinking of what to do I planned to do with Ezra and now what I would do with all of these people without them getting hurt.

"Kanan things will turn out alright" said Zeb with a high hope that things will turn out for the best..

"And you know this how?" I asked, my voice asking more than my question did.

"Don't you know I am a jedi too" Zeb said chuckling a little but then answered more seriously "things just have a way of working out when I am with the only father and son jedi duo in the universe".

I smiled. Zeb was right about everything he just said, even the bit about Ezra and I being father and son, I wasn't sure what the old jedi masters would think of that but I knew for Ezra and I it was what we needed to feel whole. I just needed to find a way of doing it in safe way. A small plan started to form as Zeb went to let Tug and his army inside the ghost, I just had to hope that they would follow it.

 **An: what is the plan? more soon.**


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

A mission of the heart

Ezra's pov

"You all have heard the plan, anyone need me to go over it?" I hear Kanan say.

Oh I know Kanan told me to sleep and I did for a while, but now hearing what I was hearing I doubt I could get back to sleep again. I may not have known who the people were that Kanan and Zeb were talking to, but they were not a danger to me or anyone on the ghost or Zeb would have ended their lives. I guess Tug must have brought them in to help us out. I hear Kanan sigh and start talking again, one of them must have needed more information on what they were to do with their part of the plan.

"Fine, I want you and the others to distract the guards that Dale has. The more of them that are outside, the less to guard the boss and the others, but I don't want you to attack them alone. I don't want anyone here hurt because of this. I know you are helping us out and I am greatful but not at the cost of your lives, but if you want to attack the guards, do it in a group less likely to be in danger that way".

This must have satisfied what ever was wrong with the group. I knew I was a little happier that they were going to be basically out of the way, not only for their safety, but Tug's father was one of them I just knew it and I did want Tug to go through what I did. Not that I was any more, I had a sort of father in Kanan and a mother in Hera, something I didn't want to loose again.

"Zeb take the men and make sure that they have what they need to do their part, I am going to talk to Ezra about his part in the plan. Knowing him he would have heard some of what happened out here" I hear Kanan say, which was accompanied by the sound of his footsteps as he walked to my room.

I was sitting up by the time he came into his room, which for the most part was our room, I mean since I was getting better and while my nightmares while not fully gone were better and I could move back into my original room which I did, but I usually ended up back into Kanan's room, which he didn't mind. He even said that I didn't need to rush something like this, and that he had got use to me being in the same room as him and that this was really how thing should have been done from the start, that masters with young padawans, when they were back from missions often stayed in the same room, so to control the emotions that the padawan might be feeling from what they just did.

"So what's the word?" I asked, once Kanan had sat down on the end of my bed.

" The word is sniper" he answered, then continued on when I looked confused " Ezra we need someone up on the roof or in the rafters. Taking out anyone that we don't see or isn't running outside to see what is happening and I know this is what I have had you do before just to keep you safe but I swear I am not being over protective this time, I really do need you up there".

"I understand and I suppose my blaster would be the best for that job" I replied.

"Not only your blaster...here this is for you" Kanan said taking my arm and placing a new electronic chip into my sling shot weapon.

"What is this?" I asked, pulling the weapon's chip to activate the energy weapon and finding out that it formed a bow and arrow set. I let it go again softly so that it wouldn't go off, that was when Kanan started to speak again.

"This is an extra weapon for you when you need your attack to be silent but deadly... your blaster, and sling shot, as powerful as they are make to much noise, this weapon won't. It's like your light sabre, elegant,fast and very hard to be stopped in time". he explained.

"Are you saying I am clumsy?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest trying, but failing to look hurt by this as a grin kept creeping on my face.

"Not at all because no Jedi is clumsy for long, even Jedi younglings like yourself are more graceful than the best dancer in the galaxy. No my hope is that one day you won't have to rely on weapons like this at all because a Jedi's best weapon is their mind. Sabres and other weapons are well and good but if the mind behind them is not focused, then they may as well be wooden sticks. Anyway this weapon will give you a longer shot if you need it" he answered standing up and motioning for me to do the same.

I suppose it was time and I really didn't want Hera or Sabine in Dale's hands any longer than they had to be. I stood up and followed Kanan out of the room and down the hallway to the common room where Zeb and a few of the others were waiting. I slowed a little as I looked at the strange men standing there, not sure whether they would hurt me or not as a nightmare vision flashed in front of my eyes, but then I realized that Zeb was here and so was Kanan so these people will not and could not hurt me.

A little while later the rescue group was watching the warehouse where Dale and his minions were supposed to be. We would not go in until we got the go a head from Kanan and at the moment he was scouting out the place, making sure what Tug had said still held true and how many people we would have to face to get Hera and Sabine out.

"Well it looks like the information on numbers and location of our crew is still right" said Kanan when he got back to us.

"Did you doubt my son?" enquired Alan.

"No, not at all, Tug is a good kid, but he was here only a short time and that was a while ago, anything could have happened between the time of him telling us and us getting here. I just had to be sure that there were not more than he knew about" Kanan said reassuring Alan of Tug's abilities.

"Good now what do we do?" I asked.

"Alan you take the explosives and some men and start your distraction run on the north side of the building, remember what I said, take on the guards if you want, but don't do anything stupid. Rufus you take the others and do the same but from the south" Kanan replied.

Both men nodded and the group of men divided up and headed to their destinations. Zeb and I looked at Kanan waiting for the next lot of instructions to what we should do, but I could tell Kanan was waiting for some kind of signal so that we could start our part of the plan, moving inside and dealing with Dale and the rest of the men that would not be distracted by what is happening.

"Will Alan,Rufus come after us?" Zeb asked.

"No, I have all ready told him and the others that I don't want them to come after us. They know we need people out here for lookouts, backups etc. I imagine that Dale will call for more men at some point or maybe some of his men inside will run" Kanan answered.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Because this type of being is usually some sort of coward. They hurt younger,weaker beings than themselves because that makes them feel powerful" Kanan replied.

Soon I was sitting behind Kanan ready to move at a moments notice, I wanted to help the others out, but even though we could hear the explosions from here, none of my long range weapons, not my sling shot or my new arrow weapon, not even my blaster in my light sabre was lethal or likely to hit my target from such a spot.

"Don't worry about what you can or cannot do Ezra. I have a feeling you will have a bigger part in what we are just about to do than you or anyone knows" Kanan said placing his hand on my shoulder for a moment before refocusing on what we were doing.

I nodded. Obviously Kanan had felt what I was feeling right now and was trying to reassure me that I was going I help somehow, but I think that maybe he was making sure I felt better before going a mission where so much was on the line and I did. I needed to hear what he said, this was hard for me and I was sure it was hard for him as well, but we needed to do this, to save lives of the people we cared about.

"Ezra, I am not just trying to make sure you feel better. I really believe you can help" Kanan answered my unasked question.

Karabast, Jedi bond, it means secrets that I might have in the future or even secrets I have now. I know Kanan can feel what I feel, but how far does this thing go? what can I hide and what can't I hide? will I have nothing to myself? was it the same way for all Jedi padawans?

"Ezra don't worry there are still ways to hide things if you want to, but keeping secrets is not a good way for you to work with other Jedi, even if they understand like I do" Kanan replied looking at the warehouse, his body tensing a little, it looked like we would be moving soon.

"Will there be other Jedi?" I asked.

"Yes I am sure there will be, I am sure I am not the only Jedi to get away and if those Jedi took padawans too, and one day those padawans will take padawans, someday I believe the galaxy will be full of Jedi again, it's just that at the moment you are the first of the new generation of Jedi. One day you and I will go and find them, start the Jedi order again, maybe with some new rules so that they are no more dark Jedi in the galaxy. I am sure there will be sith, but they will not come from the new Jedi order. The Jedi will one day be reborn" Kanan answered with certainty.

In that moment I believed him, but whether Kanan and/or I would still be here to see the new Jedi order come being? I wasn't sure about that, with everything that seems to be against us, how can we be sure we can survive into next month, let alone the years that followed.

"Ezra... focus, it's time to move" Kanan said pulling me out of my thoughts.

 **An: Dale vs... you will have to wait until the next chapter to find out, but do tell me what you think is going to happen? I love reading those.**


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

A mission of the heart 2

Ezra's pov

Kanan was right, the group had their part well in hand, now it was our turn. We ghosted in-between the buildings until we got to the warehouse where Hera and Sabine were being held. Kanan had me climb to my spot on the roof to take up my sniper spot. I opened a ventilation shaft that lead from the roof into the building itself. Once there I stayed in the rafters, while Kanan, Zeb and a few of the others that had finished what they were doing outside, including Alan,Tug's dad, silently creeping in the building and spread out to firing positions.

Soon they started firing at the guards that were left in the building, I could even hear Dale's voice barking out orders to his men as he realized what was happening. I knew that Kanan and the others could handle that part I didn't need to show myself yet, and that was a good thing because Dale's voice still had power over me. A shiver ran down my spine, then I heard Kanan's voice in my mind, I didn't know if it was real or imagined but I took his advise, I let go and focused, well at least as much as I was able too and started firing at the guards too.

This arrow weapon is great I thought as I watched my arrow hit a minion that would have been too far for my sling shot or my light sabre's blaster to hit. Another thing that I noticed was that these guards while better trained than the ones outside were not the same as the ones that captured me last time, I wondered for a minute where they were.

"Don't worry about them right now Ezra, just make sure now that no one comes after me and the others. I am going in for Hera and Sabine" Kanan sent me over our bond.

That was another thing that had developed with our bond strengthening, words were becoming more easier to hear now... maybe it was more than that, we had words before but not like this. I didn't quite understand it and I think Kanan didn't either but I did know this, I liked it and I think Kanan did too. We could track each other so much better now, it still needed a little work and Kanan had said once I was fully healed and we had time, we would work on it.

I followed Kanan, jumping from rafter to rafter to keep up with him until I saw what I was wondering over before came back to bite me in my butt, Dale's main guards, the ones that mainly helped him with all his dealings were standing guard at the door. Pretty quickly Kanan took care of one and I took care of the one other, my arrow weapon knocking the man out without too much trouble.

"Good shot Ezra" Kanan sent me and I felt the pride the man had for me flow down the bond.

"Like you would think I could miss anything that big" I sent back, feeling Kanan chuckle a bit once he understood. Kanan could send words and feelings easier than I could but then I was still learning and healing so it was always going to be weaker on my end than on his.

Kanan went inside the room and I waited outside of it. I could hear that Zeb and the others were having no trouble with the minions and other guards and I thought that maybe the others outside should be finished by now and will be coming in any moment to help with the clean up. That just left Dale and any one else that he had inside. I could feel the fight my master was having with the mountain man but I knew without a doubt that Kanan would win, my faith in my master was just that strong.

Then suddenly the bond became muted, clouded, something was wrong with Kanan. I knew I should go and get Zeb and the others, but I also knew that something bad just happened and that maybe Kanan and the others didn't have that amount of time... no, I wouldn't let that happen, not now, not ever. Kanan could yell at me all he wanted once we get home. I had heard once that it was better to ask for forgiveness than permission and that was what motivated me now, I was afraid, but I would work past it to save the people I most cared about.

"Come out little fly".

I know that voice, it haunts my nightmares since I was nine years old, and had been redoubled when I was made a slave again. It was why we were here, why Kanan was in there risking his life to save Hera and Sabine. Once again the Jedi in me flared to life, my family needed me and I knew I needed them. As much as I survived on my own, I was better with people than without. I could feel Kanan's force signature flare again, trying in his way to give me the strength I needed to pull off this rescue.

I quickly went inside the room to see Hera and Sabine tied up, but where was Kanan? I could feel him in here but I couldn't see him. Just then I hear Dale speak again.

"Looking for this, little fly?".

I turn and see Dale walking out from behind some crates with Kanan in front of him like a human shield with a blaster to Kanan's head forcing him to stay there. obviously he had fought him, even when he was captured, the wounds I could see didn't look to bad, but he couldn't beat him on his own.

"Slave you and your Jedi dad will come with me and your two lovely companions. They and you will fletch a high price, but I will make sure that all of you are spilt up so far on different planets that you will never find each other again" Dale said forcing Kanan to his knees.

" **NO!** " I yell out and rush forward, leaping over Hera and Sabine in my haste to get to Dale. Gasping for breath in my fear as my light sabre's blaster shot him square in the chest, but soon as he recovered he dived out of the way of another blaster shot. As soon as I saw this I switched my sabre to sword mode and attacked again.

Just then a hot, burning sensation slammed into my right shoulder. I was shocked, but not real registering that I had been shot until Sabine yelled out "look at your arm kid". I looked down to see my arm was bleeding badly, but right now there was nothing I could do about it. The only thing it was doing now was making my head feel a bit dizzy.

I ducked and darted, hiding behind each crate I came to as I lead Dale away from Kanan and the others, buying Kanan the time he needed to free the others. Dale still not realizing that he was away from his captives, started to shoot his blaster with more complex shots. Suddenly a shot hit one of the sprinkler heads above us and then we were being rained down on with water, this made Dale's movements easier to hear.

My attention was focused more than ever before as my attention shifted continually, from listening for sounds to watching for movement. My wound continued to burn and I could feel the warm blood trickle down my arm to my fingers, but I knew I couldn't stop, my family was depending on me.

Another shot sounded as I decided to get up on the crates out of Dale's reach. From this position I could see Kanan and the others were not in any of the water ponds that had formed but Dale was, this gave me an idea. I wasn't physically strong enough to beat Dale and the knows my mind was weakening from all the stress placed on it, and the blood loss, but somehow I knew I could do this.

"Where are you, you son of a loth-rat? I know you are in here somewhere. Show yourself, you coward!" Dale roared, standing still in that same puddle of water, blaster in hand.

I winced, my arm was really starting to hurt, I needed to end this now. My nemesis was only a short shot away, so why were my hands shaking? I could feel Kanan sending me strength and letting me know that he and the others were out of harms way, that I could take my shot if I wanted or he would take it for me.

My heart thudding in my chest, I moved into position to fire. Lifting the light sabre's blaster, I fired once, twice, three times. The shots hit Dale in the chest, the abdomen and the puddle of water he was standing in. The shots knocked him down and the puddle shot electrified him at once and he was dead before he hit the ground. I had just taken my first life, but there was no glory in this, no triumph, in this monster's life I took with my own hands and I know this will leave a wound that will never fully heal.

My legs wobbled and I fell off the crate, the blood loss finally got to me, but I didn't hit the ground, I fell into my dad's arms. My eyes locked on his teal green eyes as my own darkened pulling me into unconsciousness, but as it did I heard Kanan say "well done my son" and then darkness claimed me once again.

 **An: ding dong the monster's dead, but there is still more to come as we deal with the aftermath of what just happened. More soon as soon as I can write it.**

 **an 2: two words = season 4 :)**


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ezra's worst memory

Ezra's pov

"I can't believe that the loth - rat of a kid did it" said Zeb from somewhere in the darkness of the medbay.

I realized that my eyes were shut and as much as I tried to open them, I couldn't, at least not yet. I could hear more words, and in a way this was the best way for me to learn what had happened while I was out, maybe more too. I knew Kanan had to know I was close to waking up completely, but for some reason he wasn't telling anyone else that he knew, just then I hear something from Zeb.

"I can hear you, you big purple cat" I wanted to say, but then I hear Kanan answer Zeb "is that something against Ezra or me?".

"I have nothing against you boss, but the kid does get on my nerves a bit. Why would you think I had anything against you?" enquired Zeb.

I am sure that Zeb was looking confused and in a way I was too. I had been told by Sabine and Hera that I was acting a lot like Kanan, even more so since coming back from being a slave. Our bond from when he helped me to hang on to life, it was almost like it was trying to tell me something about this, but I needed to hear it as well as feel it, Kanan had to tell me himself.

"Because padawan's like Ezra often mirror their masters. I know I haven't been Ezra's master for long, but the bond we share is something special. He gives, I give, we both give each other what the other needs, what we lack in our lives, but it also more than that, it is hard to explain, and I don't think even a jedi elder could explain it" Kanan finished.

"I understand Kanan, well sort of. I may not know what all this jedi stuff is, but I know what family is and that is what you and the kid have" Zeb said, then I could hear the door opening and I could feel Kanan taking my hand and someone else brushing my hair out of my eyes, making me start to blink.

"shss everyone look" Hera said.

I was opening my eyes . At first they just fluttered for a moment because the light was a little strong, then I opened them properly to see who was in the room with me. As I thought and felt, Kanan was at my side holding my hand, but also Hera close on the other side to Kanan, she must have been the one who brushed the hair out of my eyes. Sabine and Zeb were also here, standing back away from the little family of three.

"I thought you had left you big fuzz - ball" I said, only to earn a half hearted glare from Zeb.

"Oh Ezra you brave, brilliant, boy" said Hera quickly knocking Kanan's hand away making his whole body hit the wall and wrapping me in what I could imagine is a motherly hug. I wouldn't know I haven't felt one in so long, but this one brought tears to my eyes.

"Hera I thought we were here to make Ezra feel better not create more patients" said Kanan, rubbing his head from where he hit it against the wall.

"You will live. After all you have a pretty hard head love" replied Hera, still not letting go of me, but she did turn her head to look at him.

I sighed, and tightened my hold on him for a minute before lightly pushing her away to get her to let go of me. There was something I wanted to tell them, something that Kanan only knew the half of and I knew I couldn't do it if I couldn't see them past Hera's flight suit. Now that the monster known as Dale was dead, it was time to get rid of the pain I had lived with for so very long.

"Ezra what's..." Hera started to say as she realized that I wanted the hug to end, and seemed a little hurt by that.

"Sorry Hera, but there is something I want to tell you all now that Dale is dead. It is a poison that needs to leave me" I answered.

"What is it padawan?" asked Kanan taking my hand again now that Hera had let me go, didn't stop her from taking my other hand, and in a way I was glad of this.

"I want to tell you all about my past with Dale. Why I acted like I did and why I feel... I am not sure how to describe it..."I said my voice trailing off at the end because I really didn't know how to describe this feeling, it wasn't a feeling I had ever felt before.

"I know what you are feeling Ezra" said Kanan squeezing my hand to get me to look at him and when I did he continued "what you are feeling is freedom".

"Freedom?" I asked.

"Freedom from things that have haunted you, freedom from knowing that others will not suffer under him. You are just free" Kanan finished.

I liked that... freedom. It was something I am sure I had once, but had forgotten what it was. I hoped one day all the galaxy could feel this way, that no one is ever left in fear and pain anymore. I knew some day that there would be no kids like me to suffer being taken and used as slaves or anything like that, this would one day end.

"The day that this all started was just after the Empire day when I was nine years old" I started to say before the words caught in my throat.

I could feel Hera rubbing circles on the back of my hand and Kanan sending waves of strength down the bond, even Zeb and Sabine were helping me by just being there, so much so that they all gave me the strength to say the next part of my story "when I was nine, I was out looking for food from what ever I could find out on the streets, until I saw some fresh fruit, just on top of the boxes with no one around to stop me from taking it".

"So you stole food Ezra?" asked Sabine, obviously not sure what she should make of this information.

"It was the only way I could survive. I knew it was wrong, but if you have no choice in the matter you just have to do it and I am not going to apologize for it. I am not proud of it, but I am here because of it" I answered.

"He wasn't the only one who had to steal either Sabine. I did too when I was first on my own" said Kanan.

"You stole master?" I asked.

"Yes I did, but like Ezra I did what I did to survive" Kanan said, moving closer and an arm around my shoulders.

"This good to know that our jedi are not the pure light - users all the time" Zeb said with a chuckle.

"They are purer than you Zeb" Sabine said, then to me she said "please continue Ezra".

I looked at them, then leaned into Kanan. Hera moved to rub circles on my back as she and Kanan realized that I was close to tears, but not from what they thought it was...tears were close because of what I was feeling in this room. All of this was helping me move on from the panic attack I would have had at saying any of this. Just like my parents would have, my family was here for me, then I made up my mind, there were words I had said to Kanan and Hera before, but until now I didn't think I really believed them. Like maybe I wasn't sure that it was right, but now something was pushing me to say them. Maybe it was the force or maybe it was my parents...I just didn't know, but I knew I could say them.

"Mum, Dad I..." I start to say, only to stop when I feel Kanan and Hera freeze.

I look up at both of them, Hera has tears in her eyes, Kanan just looks shocked, but he shouldn't be, he has known he was my Dad for a while now or at least I think he did. He had to know that some of the times I called him Dad I wasn't acting, but then maybe he knew that I had trouble calling him Dad before, now he could feel I meant the word with all my heart. I didn't know if Sabine and Zeb would have a problem with it, but then when I look over and find that they are not in the room, it's as if this was really suppose to be between the three of us.

"Don't worry about them S...S,,Son if you like I will tell them what you tell us, but I should think they are listening in"said Hera stumbling over the word son, as if she couldn't believe she could call me that, before she then pointed to the camera in the corner of the room.

"Okay" I said sighing a little and leaning into Kanan a bit more, Hera went back to making circles on my hand.

Getting comfortable again I went back to my story "well as I said I stole food when I could to survive. I can not count the number of days when I went hungry because it was just too dangerous to get anything. I mean when your a small child barely nine too, young for some things, too old for others and it hurt watching families through the windows while I suffered outside. Anyway that all changed when Dale captured me" I told them.

"Oh I think I saw that part of the memory...was that when you were being surrounded by tall men?" Kanan said his eyes full of interest.

"Yes that was it, how did... you know..., it doesn't matter anyway, once I was taken from the streets I... well mean they were too big for me to handle and I didn't have my sling shot or the force to call on, I..." my words getting jumbled up, my emotions shutting down my thoughts.

"Ezra, stay here with Kanan. As much as I want to hear the story, I think this is a moment that you and he need to share alone son. I know you want me here, but you need your Dad more and he can take you to a place that I cannot follow. Don't worry when you are really ready I will be ready to listen"said Hera, giving my hand a last squeeze before leaving Kanan and I alone.

"I guess I can clear a room. Kanan I want to still tell my story of what happened with Dale, but I..."I started to say before Kanan finished for me "you can't get the words out, is that right?" and when I nodded he continued "then like Hera said its time we got back to the temple of light and do this. Seeing it might be as hard as saying it or it might not, but either way it will get done and I will make you a promise, after this I will tell you my worst memory too".

 **An: part one done, part two as soon as I can.**

 **An 2 : R.I.P. Maul...your suffering is at an end.**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Ezra's worst memory part 2

Ezra's pov

"Will you?" my voice a little higher in pitch like I didn't believe that he would do it, but then I felt it before he said the words "trust me".

Soon we were back in the temple in the temple standing in front of the door that held the memory I was trying... and failing to tell Kanan and the rest about, but something was different, something had changed with the door. At first I didn't realize what it was, but then it hit me... The wolf... the wolf wasn't here anymore. I could kind of still feel it so I know it hadn't disappeared, but where was it. Kanan answered that when he tapped my shoulder and pointed to a spot some metres away. The wolf was laying there and as we approached we could see it was now feeble, old with the look of death upon it.

"Rest now brother, thank you for helping me, your watch is done" I told the wolf, only to have the wolf take one more breath then fade away, giving a deep mournful howl as it did.

"Ezra" Kanan started to say, before he sighed and then continued "your wolf, my wolf are gone for now, but doesn't mean that they won't be back".

"Your wolf is gone too, dad?"

Kanan took my hand and we walked back to my memory door. While we walked he showed me that indeed his wolf was gone and even the chains on his door looked rusted, like at any moment they could fall off and as I look at my door chains, they looked rusted too. I reached out to touch them, only to have them crumble away to dust...

And I knew then that I was ready for this.

I took Kanan's hand and lead him through the door. We didn't start where I had started from before, it was about a year latter than that. I was just about to turn ten and I knew now like I knew then that we were just about to get some new slaves soon. Something that would cause my world to collapse until I was freed from that loneliness by Kanan and the rest.

"Ezra" Kanan said placing his arm around my shoulders, giving me the comfort I needed as we watched Ten - ish year old me struggle to push a cart that was maybe four times as big as me.

"Ezra" said a different voice

Ten - ish year old me turned and smiled as slightly older, but still young dusty avian girl came running into view, her pretty white feathers stained brown by being here in the mine and also what we had to do here as well, but she didn't seem to care. Caring was much more important to her than the way she looked.

"Kara, can you help me? this cart is so heavy, I will never push it on my own and you know I am only just recovering from the last time I couldn't do something that they wanted done" young me said.

"Ezra, what did..." Kanan started to say, but I shook my head and shivered, I didn't want to go over what that punishment was, maybe one day, but not now. We turned back to the two kids as they continued talking.

"Sure kid... it's not like a scrawny, little thing like you can push something like this anyway" Kara said giving young me a bump as she took hold of the cart too.

"Hey I grew, I grew" Ten - ish year old me protested, but then young me earned a grin from the avian girl at my side and the older me earned a chuckle from Kanan.

Both of us shot a glare at our companions. I knew I wasn't ever going to be very tall, maybe as tall as Kanan or maybe a little taller, but not as tall as Zeb. I mean even Sabine was taller than me, but Kanan did tell me that height didn't matter, it's what you do with what you had that mattered. Yoda was small and look at what he could do.

I looked back to young me and the avian girl as she said " keep telling yourself that kiddo" as the two continued to push the cart inside the mine tunnel.

"So that is Kara" said Kanan watching after the two kids and when I nodded unable to speak, he continued " now I know why you sometimes flinch at the word Kiddo, kiddo".

"Yeah I don't like being called a kid. I haven't been a kid in a long time. I know you all... why are you laughing?" I said my eyebrows narrowing at him.

"Because that was something I told others a lot too, but what I had to realize and what you have to realize is that in many people's eyes you are a kid. Ezra now that you are not alone, now that you can act your age sometimes, don't be in such a rush to grow up" Kanan finished.

"I understand" I said as we turned to walk down the tunnel where younger me and Kara had just walked down moments before.

"Ezra are you okay?" Kanan asked once we had stopped again beside some rocks.

"Yes" I answered, my voice clipped, I then heard Kanan sigh, he knew that I knew I was not.

We could see a group of kids surrounding Kara and I in the middle. She is talking to us, singing to us, making us feel better about our day. Young me was bundled up in her arms as she ran her hand through my dusty hair as young me shivered through the pain he was feeling from the wound I had just suffered to my back. It was a long wound and I knew Kanan had seen it and now he knew how I got it.

"Do you really think we can get away?" asked one of the kids, the smallest in the group.

"If we time it right, it will happen and don't forget we will have help" said Kara.

"Who?" young me asked.

"I don't know his name just that I know I can trust him. I can usually tell when I can trust somebody and just like I can trust everyone here I know I can him" Kara replied tightening her hold on me.

"Must be the Jedi that saved you, Ezra you did say that others were in on this too" Kanan said making me turn to face him.

"because I didn't know if anyone else survived our escape" I answered looking up into his eyes feeling unshed tears in my eyes, my body starting to tremble violently.

"Ezra remember these are visions of the past. As long as you hold on to them, that is the only way they can hurt you. Complete this memory, master yourself my padawan, my son" Kanan said taking me into his arms.

I buried my face into his chest, my silent tears wetting his shirt, until I hear something that made me realize that the next part of this memory was about to start. I look up and over at the group of slave children, we were spiting up. Kara, I and Beau, one of the youngest in the group, walked away together. Just then Kanan and the current me saw another group of children been pushed by Dale and his underlings.

"Ezra what's happening?" Kanan asked.

"The worst part of my memory is coming up, Kanan I..." my voice trailed off as one of the new kids ran from his group.

"Get after that brat" said Dale to one of his guards, and the guard ran after the kid and soon screams could be heard.

Kanan and I ran towards the sound only to find Kara had stepped in to stop the beating. She might have been only half the underlings size, but that did not stop her from trying to stop him anyway. Then the guard landed a heavy kick that sent Kara into the wall braking her right wing. The guard made a comment into Kara's ear that either of us could hear, then he picked up the slave he was sent to get and walked away.

"You know he will have told him of what you did" said Beau, his ears picking up the sounds of talking further down the tunnel.

"I know, but it doesn't matter we will be leaving tonight. There are ships out there re - fueling, I am going to get our group and as many of the others away as I can" replied Kara.

"Ezra what was the plan? and how is the Jedi that saved you involved? Kanan enquired bring me back to the present a little.

"Master...K...Kanan" I stammered out before I took control of my emotions and then continued "Dad, the plan was to get our group, the group you saw before, as close to the ship as we could then make a run for it. The Jedi, well I didn't know he was a Jedi at the time was going to give us cover until we got away, I think he was going to take control of one of the ships. How Kara got in control with him, I am not sure, only that she did".

"Kara stay with me please! I will never get away on my own" the young me said practically begging the bird girl as she turned to start down the tunnel after dealing with her wing.

"I promise I will be safe, but I have to save those new slaves too. They all look as young or younger than you, little Ezzy and it's not fair to them to go through what we did" Kara replied not turning around.

"Okay don't let Dale get you" young me answered even though I knew that he did.

"I won't trust me, meet me at the place and we will go from there" Kara finished running off into the dark.

"Ezra...Ezra" Kanan was trying to get my attention, but all I could do was watch Kara disappear from my life again.

I could feel Kanan pulling me along the tunnel to the outside world. I could hear him calling my name both with his voice and in my mind, again and again, but I was numb to all that was happening around me, well at least until I hear the sound of feet running on the dirt.

"Ezra what's happening now?" Kanan asked, but his voice was like background noise. I knew what was happening now and what was just about to happen.

"Kanan ... Kara will ... the Jedi will ..." I couldn't get the words out, but Kanan understood what I was trying and failing to say.

We watched as child after child darted from cover to ship. The young me was there watching too making sure that they at least got to the ships what happened from there was up to them. We could see the Jedi now, tall, strong, but hidden in shadow so he couldn't be seen, but that was not what worried me now... where was Kara.

"dam trash, throw it in the pit. We have plenty of more slaves where she came from" said a voice coming out of the tunnels.

"Kara...Kara..."I yelled out knowing that she couldn't hear me, there was nothing I could do, but watch as she was dragged to the fire pit in the middle of the camp, and just like then I was being held back by a Jedi.

Young me was struggling against a man that held a hand over my mouth to stop me from calling out again, while older me was shivering violently in Kanan's hold, but both our eyes were on one person alone.

"Kara" I sobbed out in a broken voice as both young me and present day me watched as she was pushed into the fire pit. Her voice screamed and screeched in pain, only to be silenced a little while later.

Kanan turned me from the sight once he heard the Jedi pull young me to his feet and push him to a ship, telling him on the way that it was safest in the air vents where the empire's storm troopers were too big to follow, to wait there until it was safe to leave the ship.

"Ezra that is enough, I don't need to see any more of this nightmare" said Kanan and then it all faded away from us as we found ourselves back in the hallways again.

I was still shaking with Kara's name on my lips, my ears full of her screams and my nose full of burnt feathers.

 **An: well I did say it was Ezra's worst memory.**


	26. Chapter 26

chapter 26

A master's master

 **An: Sorry I know it has been forever since I updated this story but life got in the way. I will try to send chapters weekly from now on but know if I don't the chapters will come.**

Kpov

"Ezra,Ezra its alright now, I am here" I said guiding my shaking padawan through the door and watching that door fade away, freeing Ezra of that pain. Well not completely but enough that he could breathe again without that pain in his mind.

"Kanan d...did you recognize the jedi from the memory?please tell me you did and you know where he is?I would like to thank him for what he did for me and the others that day"said Ezra slowly recovering from his nightmare.

"I did, I only met him once when I was a youngling, before I even became a padawan myself, but I will never forget him. Anyway his name is Ephaan Kenzon, he left the jedi order before order 66 went down but he was a jedi knight before that and while I might not know where he is or if he is alive right now, Hera's contact might. If not I am sure I can find away to find out what happened to him because you are not the only one who wants to thank him, I want to thank him too for bringing you into my life" I told him.

"I hope he is alright where ever he is, as well as all those kids that escaped with me" Ezra said pushing me away a little now that his shivering had stopped.

"Trust me when I say that I believe he and those kids are safe and that you will find them one day, whether you are with us or not" I said.

"Why am I going somewhere?"he asked.

"No not at all, its just if you are on a solo mission like you did at the imperial academy, you might come across him and I am sure you don't want to be around us all the time especially Zeb" I reassured him, while trying to make a joke of it, I didn't want to remind him that at any moment during a mission we might be on, it might just be our last.

"I understand master. What is your memory that you are going to share with me?" Ezra asked trying to get away from the thought of one of us leaving him.

"I am going to show you my worst memory. It is only fair since you showed me yours" I said and then lead him to my own chained door.

My wolf and the chains disappear at my touch and then I felt something lift a little from me, Something that had hurt me for a long time. I might not be able to explain my actions or feelings about what happened that day but somehow I knew that Ezra would not mind what I was like only that I am here with him now, so I opened the door and walked through.

The effect on Ezra and I was immediate, Ezra was just about glued to my side, his fear from his time here, just like I had feelings about it too but they had changed, I was conflicted. While I still hated and feared this memory because of what happened. I also know that if it hadn't happened I wouldn't have met the ghost crew or maybe not even Ezra. Well maybe I would have met Ezra because I believed they would have bought him to the jedi temple on coruscant but I don't think I would have been his master and that would have been a shame.

"Ezra remember this is not your Kaller nor is it mine any more. This is a past that I am sharing with you. Only you. Hera is the only other person on this crew that knows anything about my past, well at least this part of my past" I said turning the boy around so we could look each other in the eye. Well sort of as I was still head and shoulders above him.

"I get that but doesn't stop me feeling what I feel about this place" he answered looking away from me.

"Son look at me" I said and when he did I continued "I am not asking you to stop feeling what you feel for this place only to understand my feelings on this place. What it meant to me when I was your age and what happened to me here, to understand why I was like I was when I first started training you. I don't think either of us will ever like this planet and while its not the planets fault nor its people, it will always be something in us that will always put us on edge when ever we are on this planet".

"I understand Dad" he replied.

And I could feel he did, his body position that tense, ready to run look that he gets sometimes or even when he wraps his arms around his body, this we all knew was to stop himself from feeling pain and when we kept going through the start of the memory he stayed close to my side he wasn't fearful of what this place meant to him or even to me.

"Whoa that was a bit hit" Ezra said as we watched the battle happen all around us, "you took down that droid like it was nothing".

"Well those droids are nothing like what we have now, whether they are easier or harder who can say but they still go down the same" I replied watching as the clones, I and my master battled more and more droids with ease.

"Remember the basics, Caleb Dume" said my master.

Ezra looked a little confused then he remembered that I had told him that I had changed my name for my own safety as well as the others that I cared about and something told me that Ezra was still dealing with the fact that I had at one time a master too. I mean he knew I had, had one but to see her that was another thing.

"Assume a defensive pose, form three" she said getting into the position herself.

Young me answered "yes master" in much the same way Ezra answered me sometimes.

"She has more control over you than I think you have over me" Ezra said as we watched Depa Billaba call out an all forces attack.

"Well when you have a master like that you do what you are told, more often than not it will save your life and that is something I am trying to get through to you. Ezra am I doing a good job on this or am I failing?" I enquired.

"I think you are most of the time but of course being me not all of it is going to sink in, sorry" Ezra answered looking back to where we were fighting, only I find that it was over and he had to ask "do major battles always end that quickly?".

"No they usually go on for weeks at a time or even longer. It all depends on who they are fighting and how important the thing they are fighting over is" I answered looking at the small group walking up to the main building that was close to the battle.

"Do you know who you're addressing?" the young me practically growled out at the tall snake man.

"General what's - your - name?" was his answer.

"Master Depa Billaba, a member of the jedi high council"young me yelled out at him.

"Whoa I knew you said you were just like me but I hadn't realized how much. Are all padawans that way? or is it just you and me? you know it doesn't matter. Why did your master not do anything?" Ezra said watching young me and Depa walking away.

You know I never got an answer to that...I guess she just thought that the fight wasn't worth it, that Kallerians think that way about all other species besides their own. I don't like to ask but did you ever meet any Kallerians while you were a slave here Ezra?"I asked.

Ezra just watched the training young me was doing with my master before answering "no" his voice short and clipped said more than his answer did but I didn't press him on it knowing one day he would tell me. I could see him smiling and I asked what he was smiling about, his answer was that he liked my master, that she had a way of dealing with troubling kids.

"Yeah I am sure she would have straightened you out in a second or at least given me tips on how to do it myself" I answered thinking about all she said and did that day, I continued "a lot of things that happened during that war shouldn't have happened and my master was right when she said that the jedi order made a crucial error in taking military titles".

"What do you mean?" Ezra asked now, his eyes on me and not on the memory that was happening around him.

"Jedi knights and masters, even padawans once they are far enough in their training are leaders of armies but should not have a role or rank in the army. For that type of leadership jedi of all types are not suited for. We are better as solo or duo fighters" I answered him turning back to the memory.

"What are they laughing at?" Ezra said looking at the clone trooper nearly falling over with how hard he was laughing.

"Well at the temple on coruscant I was famous, if not infamous for asking too many questions, something you seemed to have pick up on" I answered, rubbing his head in much same way that the trooper was rubbing mine.

"Well if I ask questions, it is only to better understand why that action was made but maybe that is why I am alive" he said moving out from my reach, which allowed me to see my master give me the holocron. The same holocron that Ezra had once tried to steal. I sighed, because I knew what was coming now and that was starting to get me nervous about what was just about to happen. It was going to change my life and a lot of lives in a big way in a few minutes.

Ezra turned and his eyes widened when we both heard the comlink say "execute order 66" and I just grabbed the kid. Not because he would be in danger but because I needed something to hold on to as my world at the time came crashing all around me. I just closed my eyes but that could not block the sound or smell of laser fire.

Suddenly there was a flash and another memory was played, young me's memory I guessed. The memory was of what was happening in the universe right now as Depa Billaba touched young me's arm. All over the galaxy, clones were turning on the jedi and killing them.

Ezra screamed, braking the second memory flash and freezing my own. I held him and reminded him that it was only a memory of a vision not a vision that was happening now.

"I know that but how could they do that to people they know?" Ezra said as the memory starts moving forward again.

"Clone troopers as I found out sometime later had chips in their heads stopping them from acting how they would normally. Making them act like good soldiers that follow orders"I said turning back to the battle and watching as more troopers lose their heads under my master's saber.

"So if they didn't have the chips or if something happened to it so it didn't work?"Ezra started to say before I interrupted his train of thought "then those jedi would have been safe but I don't know if any of those clone troopers found their chips until after"I finished sighing a little as we watch both young me and Billaba fight together for what I knew now as the last time.

"Widen the perimeter, surround them" said one of the clone troopers.

"What about the crossfire?" asked another only to have the other clone answer him "what scares you more? crossfire or the jedi?".

"Caleb we cannot win this battle, you must run" said my master.

"Even now I don't know if I made the right choice, but she did it for me, so I could survive. My life meant more to her than her own. Do you understand what I am telling you Ezra?" I said looking at him in the eyes so that I did have to watch my master being killed again or let my padawan see it too, knowing that one day that it might be my fate to die for Ezra.

"I do but don't you think I would do the same if you were in trouble" Ezra said turning away from me and watching as young me disappearing into the forest.

"You know how to disappear like that?" Ezra said surprised as young me popped up from where he was hiding after the clones past.

" That's no different to what we do now or what you have done in the past" I replied.

"And they really thought the jedi order betrayed the republic? how stupid were they, how could they ever think we would do that?" Ezra said as we watched my younger self get on a transport.

"A person no, people yes. People follow strong leaders. I think that is why the jedi were made leaders in the first place now that I think about it"I started to say before Ezra finished it "and that's why the empire fooled so many in the galaxy".

"Not only that padawan Ezra" said a voice that was coming from back near the door.

"M...m...master?"

 **An: again sorry for the very late chapter, hope that made up for it.**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

A master's pain

Kpov

"M...Master?"

She was here again but why? I know she turned up when I needed her before... when Ezra was close to dying, but this was different, Ezra was not in danger and neither was I, so why was she here.

"I am here because you are here and I know master Yoda said that a lot but there is something I need to tell you now that you are facing this pain" Depa billaba said turning to the young me who was running through the streets.

"Which is?" I asked.

"I was always with you, watching, pushing, protecting you through the force making sure that you would be safe until you were ready to go it alone and find your destiny, just as if I was still alive" she answered.

"Master I..." I started to say before she interrupted me "Caleb...Kanan I don't blame you for anything you did or didn't do. I helped in a way to make make those choices, even the one to take on padawan Ezra, when I saw that he had the missing piece that you needed in your life".

"But master I..." aga I could not get the words out.

"Kanan don't second guess yourself, you are doing a good job with your padawan - almost son - Ezra and I am glad of it because if I had one worry, it was how you were going to turn out and how to help others as you grew into the jedi I knew you could be" she said.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmm...master billaba, how are you here?you're dead and this is Kanan's memory. I saw you just die...I just don't understand" Ezra said leaning into me, his mind was buzzing with so many questions.

"Youngling like I said to Kanan before I am here because you are here. All masters keep a connection to their padawans throughout their lives,so even after death the master can send the right message to their pupil to push them in the right direction. Even if they don't understand the message until later, and not all the time but when they really need it we are there" she said kneeling a little to be on the same height level as Ezra.

"So if something happened to Kanan and I had to plan something to rescue him or if he..." Ezra said his voice trailing off.

"Then even though he wouldn't be there, in a way he would. You would just have to remember what you needed to help you, not unlike what is happening with young Kanan now" she answered looking back at the young boy running, trying to find a safe place to spend the night.

"Kanan... watching you go through this was hard. I know how frightened you were but like all jedi younglings you really weren't taught how to survive and I know that was my fault in a way" Depa said as we watched more of the memory play out.

"Not your fault. We weren't together long enough for your to start teaching me that type of thing. I am just lucky that Ezra knows this already but apart of me wishes he didn't" I said placing my arm around him.

"True, but that is why I made sure that the kallerian was placed in your path. I didn't know how it would play out with him but I had hope" Depa said as we saw the snake man appear in front of young Kanan.

"Well look who's here...if it isn't a baby jedi"said the snake man looking down at him.

"Stay back" the young me called out igniting his light saber.

"Whoa kid relax. I'm not gonna hurt you" he replied but at the time how could I know that. I was cold, afraid, and alone, Depa pulled me out of my thought by saying.

"And what did he do for you? he gave you food, a place to sleep, different clothes to hide you from the empire and how did you repay him... my waywood padawan? you took his ship after you heard the jedi emergency signal".

"I know but I did bring it back" I said looking at young me piloting the Kasmari, only to hear the full message that I didn't hear before.

"This is master Obi - wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both our jedi order and the republic have fallen...with the dark shadow of the empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving jedi: trust in the force. Do not return to the temple. That time is passed and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection. Be secret...but be strong. We will each be challenged: our trust, our faith, our friendships, but we must persevere and the force be with you, always" the hollcron message said.

"That was the whole message master? but I didn't get all of that when it opened for me" Ezra said not really caring that I had stollen a ship.

"That was it...didn't help when I got there, to coruscant like I thought I had to because the message came too late. So I had to fight my way out but I did by jumping into hyperspace and heading to the place they did not think I would go and to return the ship to its owner" I told him.

"I did stop him from almost hating you once you got back and tossing you out on your backside for it" Depa said chuckling a little.

"No I guess not but I did help him out a few months later, well what I thought was help" I said watching a now long haired me get pulled back to the Kasmari by the ear and letting go once we were inside.

"Wow he makes Zeb look like a gentleman" Ezra said watching as young me rubbed my ear.

"What in the three moons was that?" the kalleran asked.

"I was...you know...saving you" young me answered still rubbing his ear.

"Do I look like someone who needs saving?" he yelled at young me slapping him on the shoulder, before answering his own question "What you saw was a deal...I could have doubled their fees and still wound up ahead on the deal. Now I'm out a crew for the job...so I guess you just volunteered to take their place".

"Yeah, sure I suppose I could help out" young me had said running a hand through his hair, kind of like the way Ezra does sometimes now that I think about it but he wraps his arms around his body more.

"But first, we gotta do something about that tell of yours"the kalleran had said.

"Tell?" young me said pausing in his rub of his hair. Ezra looked a little confused by this, it was something that I would have to help him with one day too.

"Every time you get nervous you run your hand through your hair" the snake man said, Ezra turned to me and I nodded and said " I did every time, that's another reason why I changed how I looked, I just wish..."

"That you didn't have to cut off your padawan braid yourself. You wished that I had done it when you became a knight" Depa said standing on the other side of me, placing her arm around my waist as she could no longer reach my shoulders.

"Yes" I said quietly.

"I wish I could have too. I had heard from other masters that cutting off the braid gives you a feeling like no other but that was my pain too Kanan" she answered just as quietly.

"Should I have a braid too" asked Ezra looking up at the two of us and so I answered "you could but its not needed. I know your my padawan, the crew know your my padawan and one day the empire will realize it too. Not having a braid doesn't mean your not a padawan, Ezra".

"I understand" he said then chuckled "looks like you did not like being called kid any more than I do, but I know that is part of being the youngest on the crew" he finished.

"Your padawan is wise, Kanan" Depa said reaching over and ruffling Ezra's hair.

"Wish he would show it more often" I said running a hand through his hair too.

"Hey at least I didn't sell you out like that kalleran did" Ezra said dancing out of the range of our hands as we saw the snake man point to young me to get them to take him instead.

"That was a hard thing to watch" my master said as the other kallerans surrounded the Kasmari and young me. We knew at any moment they were going to make their move on my young self but then we heard a voice ask us a question that had nothing to do with anything that was going on in the memory.

"What was a hard thing to watch?" asked the voice again.

We turn to the doorway to see a person standing there. I watch Ezra's eyes widen and his voice say "Kara?".

 **An: what will Kara have to say?**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

A night to remember part 1

Ezra's pov

"Does anyone have the right to turn up in my memory without me knowing that they are there" Kanan said.

But that was only half heard by me, most of my attention was on the bird girl in front of me, my first best friend Kara. Like Kanan's master, she was made out of what looked like blue mist, but I know she wasn't force sensitive, at least I didn't think she was. Well maybe she was and she didn't even know it, or maybe it had something to do with Kanan and I.

"Depa I thought we were suppose to keep a low profile and let them work it out for themselves, like they were starting too" said Kara, her feathers fluffed up in her anger at being found out.

"I know, I know, but I could see Kanan was struggling on this and so I decided to help. It has been done before by past masters and I know I could do it now" Depa replied looking to the two of us before continuing on "besides is not something you haven't been doing for my padawan's padawan".

"Fine, guilty as charged, but still what was hard about watching that part of his life?" Kara asked.

"Why do I have a feeling they know what is coming for us?" I said looking at the two ghosts having what I could only think of as a stare off.

"They might do, but I don't think she will be going anywhere to soon, do you Ezra?" Kanan said and smiled as I nodded and we turned back to the memory.

We saw the Kallerians fight over what they were going to do with the young Kanan, then decide to hard him over to the clone troopers Grey and Styles. I turn to Kanan, to see him lean into his master's touch, for as Kanan and I had been watching the memory the two force ghost had floated over to join us.

"Caleb, I was never far from you and somehow I knew it was going to be alright. It wasn't a vision because you don't get those after you join the force, but still" Depa told him tightening her hold on him for a moment before letting him go.

Then I saw in the memory what she must have seen, Kanan's friend broke him out of prison and that brought up a memory of when Kanan and the rest broke me out of the empire's ship when I first met them. Maybe it was this memory that made him want to rescue me, he knew what thy would do to me if they ever discovered what I was, what I could do.

"I was worried a little master after that, that you would dislike me for the choices that I made, the choice to join the smuggler for one and what I had to do the survive" Kanan said turning to look Depa in the eye.

"No, I had no problem with what you did,I know the reasons you did it. I was just happy you found some way to live" she replied .

"Not that we had much of a life in the months that followed. running from planet to planet, Jannus complaining about our followers the whole way" Kanan said with a smirk as we see young him talk back to his Kallerian partner, much like I did to him.

"So is it me or are all fourteen year olds like that?" said Kara as we listen to the two smugglers talking about what the next job was on Lan.

"No just ours. Ezra has always been like that from what I could see and something tells me that it didn't take too long after my death for the real Caleb to show up again" Depa replied looking at the two of us.

"Like how?" I ask earning a worried look from Kanan, he really didn't want me to know what he was like when he was my age.

"Caleb was a good student, but he had an adventurous heart, although he liked things the way they are. He also liked the excitement of battle and I think you are like this too" Depa replied and I smiled she did know me and Kanan well.

"Don't I know it. Ezra was and is a trouble maker, you know he always says that trouble finds him, but it a way , I think he makes trouble happen" Kara said as I turn to see young Kanan talking to someone about a ship.

"Your as happy about that ship as I am to learn to fly one. Maybe one day I will get my own, not that I ever want to leave you master" I said and was rewarded with a short one arm hug.

Then we hear "I have Kasmir's ship... does he have my spice?" I turn again to Kanan not understanding why he would want the spice. I mean I knew it was made into all kinds of things, all kinds of drugs and I suppose it would make it valuable, but still...

"Ezra it was a different time, not that they are much better now but sometimes there isn't any option for us. Until I went to Kasmir to find out what was happening, only to find him captured by Grey the storm trooper" Kanan said looking at young him watching Kasmir and Grey talk.

"Vanishing was never going to happen, you do realize that my ex padawan, nor is it cowardly to leave if you think that might change the situation"Depa told us all.

As the scene changed and we watched young Kanan convince the man who had the ship to let him take the ship early. Why did he listen to him? it wasn't like he was using a jedi mind trick or anything, he just seem to have a way with people, something I was often told that I had.

"Why does he keep saying he is out of his mind over and over again?" I asked Kanan, who shrugged his shoulders as a way of answering the question.

"I think many people are out of their minds"Kara said watching as the two people of the past approached a small ship.

"Its called the far brook hope" the man said.

"I think I will change it to the escape" young Kanan said smiling at the ship, only for that to change a minute later when they got fired on by storm troopers.

"They really had a thing for you, didn't they master?"I said, knowing that it was kind of like how Dale treated me.

"They couldn't help themselves, but yes even I think this went way past the chips programming" Kanan answered as young Kanan was dragged away.

"They were really going to do it, kill you as a kid" I asked as I pressed myself closer to him.

"Not if I could help it"Depa replied.

Which had me a little confused. I knew she was a force ghost by this time, but she really couldn't do much as a ghost, could she? but then she was a jedi with full jedi training, not like Kanan having his training cut short. What did that mean for my own training? I mean I was only going by what Kanan was able to teach me and some things that I was able to work out on my own. Still that didn't make Kanan less of a jedi and I was sure with time I would see myself as one.

But still I had to know, so I asked "how master Depa?"

"Like this" she answered and placed her hands on us and we got a flicker of what happened in that ship[ that she had helped to come to pass.

"Master, what..."I started to say before Kanan's memory answered my question.

 **An: sorry cliffhanger, will try to get the next part up soon.**

 **An2: what do you think of season 4? will Ezra and Kanan survive, as they are the only ones I have no knowledge of past the new hope story line. My hope is they will survive, but have to leave for some reason.**

 **An3: star wars: the last jedi...thoughts anyone?**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

A night to remember part 2

Ezra's pov

I see two clone troopers talking about the kid...my future master on the floor. Couldn't they see that they were wrong? that they were being used for a purpose that had nothing to do with what they were originally fighting for, much like the storm troopers of now were being used. Both types of troopers were supposed to save the galaxy, but instead they are killing it.

"Awake... good because I want you to see whats coming" said one of the clone troopers, who that was, I wasn't sure. How could you tell one from the other, but this one did have one mark that helped me, he had a scar on his face.

"The way my master saw it coming when you betrayed her" Caleb/ young Kanan said, his voice braking a little with emotion at the mention of his master.

Then it was like I was seeing double, Kanan's master was standing by our sides, but also I saw that she was standing by Caleb/young Kanan's side as well as a kind of ghost, it was like she was trying to give him the courage to say what he had to, to get through to them. Not that it was working much, they really were not listening to what he was saying.

"We're not the traitors, you jedi are" growled out the same trooper as before.

The master by Caleb/young Kanan's side moved to the trooper. I could see and feel that something was wrong with this trooper more than the other,it was like this trooper was more under the empire's control and the other one was wavering like he didn't want to do this or maybe that had something to do with the master.

Just then Caleb/young Kanan spoke again "how could you believe that! we faught side by side with you through every battle" but when the troopers looked like they didn't believe him he continued " don't you see the jedi never betrayed you, the republic, we died with it. Okay yes the republic was betrayed but you were betrayed by Palpatine, not us. He used you to destroy the jedi so that he could have his empire. Styles, Grey, try to remember, you used to worship master Billaba, do you truly believe in your hearts that she could ever be a traitor?"

"And while you were doing this my padawan, I was sending them memories of our time together, and it was starting to work too, until they heard that voice over the intercom, that said other ships had followed them" Depa said.

Kanan's pov

"I didn't ask them to do that. I thought they would abandon me like... you did master, oh and Ezra don't feel like that, I would never abandon you if I could help it" I told my worried looking padawan.

"It's not your abandonment of me that has me feeling like this Kanan, it's yours Kara. Why did you leave me and the others that day" Ezra said turning to Kara.

The Avian girl looked away, then back at him and then replied "I suppose that its time to tell you my side of that tale, but I think we should finish this one first, okay Ezra?".

"Okay, my master please go on" Ezra said turning back to me.I knew he wanted to know about what Kara and her story was, but she was right we should finish this first.

"Ezra for the last time (what I thought was going to be the last time) when I was on that ship I put my trust in the force. I let the air lock open and abandon my body to space. I knew that I was either going to be picked up in time or I was going to die and join the force with my master"I said.

"Well that was a stupid plan and it sounds like something I would come up with. Master Billaba, would you really let that happen? I mean you were watching it all"Ezra said looking up at Depa.

"I would have because I had faith that my padawan would be alright and that they would catch him in time, otherwise we would have had words"Depa replied, making me look down in enbassment.

I was so lucky that Kasmir caught me and made sure that I was still breathing before continuing his fight with the empire's freighter, but one thing did puzzle me that day, why did our attack on their ship work?

"Master why did our attack work? I mean one ship was down to eight percent shields and the ship I was on wasn't much better. So why when I gave the order to fire did it work?" I enquired of her.

"Because I got through to styles. He shot the ship's panel, taking out the shields, letting the shot from your ship get through" she replied.

I realized that she was the only reason why I was alive, well at least past that point. Once I had decided to leave Kasmir, leave the thief to his life, leave my padawan past except for my light saber and master Billaba's holocron and the new ship that I had called escape.

"Master I hope you didn't mind that I changed my name? I felt that Caleb dume died with you, I barely thought about that time until I met Ezra and the part of my life when I was Caleb razed its head in my mind" I said.

"So that's why you changed your name, why you were like that with me in the beginning" Ezra said as we walked out of my memory.

"Yes because you were a reminder of a time that I didn't want to think about it, but I knew I had too, I knew I had to help you to learn to be a jedi" I answered give Ezra a quick hug.

"And as for you changing your name? I didn't mind. I could see the reasons for it and even though you left that thief physically behind mentally you didn't" Depa said.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Your actions, your name, they all speak of Kasmir"she answered when the door disappeared.

"They do?"

"They do, but that in itself is not a bad thing, your padawan is testament to that. I can see in him the young child that was by my side, its as if Caleb dume has been taken in by Ezra" she told us all, Kara nodded too.

"Ezra wasn't always the bravest kid around,he had to learn to be. The streets helped, but you did too and for that I am greatful. If I had one regret that I couldn't do more for children of the slave camp" Kara said looking away.

"Kara you said before that you would tell us of what happened that day. Will you still do it? I think I need to know to close that part of my life" Ezra explained, looking at the bird girl.

"I will, I am also sorry for leaving you, just like master Billaba is for leaving Kanan. Neither of us had a choice in the matter" she answered.

 **An: one more chapter and this story is done.**

 **An: I have a season 2 and a season 3 based stories in the works.**

 **An: merry Christmas**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The night and the music

Ezra's pov

"I suppose you don't know much about my kind, do you kiddo?" Kara said and when I shook my head she continued " my kind like many bird like species are laid and born of eggs. We hatch in groups, we learn to care for others and as soon as we are old enough to understand about one generation caring for the next, we are then considered old enough to leave the hatchery".

"But then how did..." I started to say before she interrupted me "how did Dale get me? he raided my world, taking what he could, found my generation hatchling just leaving the hatchery. I distracted him long enough for the others to get away, but he still got me" ending it a little suddenly.

"Oh okay" I said, I knew that pain all too well. To be taken from all you knew, all you cared about, to be forced to work in a place that could easily kill you.

Kara moved over to me and said "I wish I could hold you right now Ezra. I might not be a jedi like your master and his master or even a padawan like you, but I feel your pain because it is also my pain".

"I am doing my best to move past it" I answered her moving as close as I could to her and holding out my hand.

She covered it with her own and even though it was ghostly, I could feel her touch. I looked over to Kanan and his master and I wonder if he could feel her touch just like I could feel Kara's. By the look he had on his face I believed he could and I was happy for him because to see a loved one and not feel them, I could think of any thing worse.

"I could tell you if I do, but I think Kara wants to continue her confession to you about her time in the slave camp" Kanan said.

I blushed. I realized that Kara and master Billaba's time was growing short, even now I could see them fading, leaving us behind as if this was what they had been waiting for to help them make that final cross over to the other side. Not that Kanan or I wanted them to leave us, but it was apart of life and as much as I hated that it was, we at least got to talk with them one last time, not everyone gets that.

"I guess you are right about that and I suppose you can tell me in your own time, something that as much as I wish she would have, she doesn't" I replied, then turned to Kara and said " Kara please tell me...tell us the rest of your memory".

"Kiddo I... alright, now where did I leave the memory off" she said looking only at me.

Kara might not be a force sensitive being, but like she said she could read emotions and I bet she could feel what I was feeling now. Kanan always said that Hera knew how the others of the crew were doing, even chopper had a place there. She often helped me through many nightmares when Kanan couldn't, so maybe every one was force sensitive in their own way and that is why force sensitive children that could become jedi or sith were born all over the place.

"Kara you were just caught by Dale and his minions" I replied, my head down, voice barely reaching my friend's ears.

"Right, I was just caught and Ezra don't worry about how you feeling right now, if it hadn't happened none of it would have lead to this point and then I wouldn't be able to leave this plane of existence knowing that you are as safe as you can be in this empire run universe of ours" she said.

"I understand. I know it will be hard, but I will move forward and I know Kanan and the others will help any way they can" I said, feeling some thing in my heart lighten.

Kara nodded then continued her story " any way I worked for Dale in that mine for years and then you show up and I could see how they treated you and not only you, but all the youngest slaves in that camp. For a long time I didn't see what they did to us, but you opened my eyes. I saw the thin children, their cries in the night and worst of all, the bone pit"she said, making us all shiver. Kanan seemed like he was going to be sick, I guess he remembers when he found me in one.

"You are right about that" said Kanan, privately to my mind.

"Sorry you had to see that master. I wish I had been stronger, held out longer, I..." I started to say before Kanan interrupted "Ezra you are strong, any one else probably wouldn't have made it as long as you did or helped that kid. Ezra ...son you have a selfless heart, which I think is one of your greatest strengths and your strong will is another. Zeb might call it being stubborn, but to be a jedi, some times you have to fight against what others are telling you to do, in order to do something right".

I nodded and something else fell into place "that's why you did what you did, when everything told you not to do it, right Kara?" I enquired.

"Yes, I knew if I didn't do something soon. You or one of the others I cared about would end up on the bone pit pile" she replied.

"So how did you meet the jedi?" asked Depa, which made the three of us jump a little, by this point we had forgotten that she was still here with us.

"Well he found me about a month after I decided to do something about Ezra and the others. I had been looking, watching the guards for a while now and I saw that their guard was always a little up when the camp got new slaves. The guards were higher around the new slaves as they moved them to their new working area for banding and the rest, but as I saw then the ships were pretty much left unguarded, not that it did us any good right then"Kara said shaking her head.

"Why not?" asked Kanan.

"That was because not one of us knew how to fly. I had to find someone amongst the new slaves that knew how to fly. That was when he found me as I talked to the new slaves" she replied with a slight smile on her face.

"How did you know that you could trust him? why was he there in the first place, did he ever tell you? he could have done any thing to us once he got us to where ever he was going to take us" I said, firing off one question after another.

"He told me things to make me trust him, like how he was one of the very few jedi left in the galaxy and he thought it was his job to save as many force sensitive children as he could, so when he heard about our slave camp he just had to try and see what he could do. I could feel that he was good, well as good as any one I had felt in a long time" she said.

"I understand, but why didn't he just take us away that day? why did he wait so long before he... I mean if he had you might still be live" I said, my head down so they couldn't see my tears that were threatening to fall.

"I don't know why, he must have had his reasons and to whether I would have been alive, I can't answer that. I think after seeing you and the others to a safe enough planet, I think I would have wanted to go with him and save other children"Kara told me.

Lifting my head to meet her eyes I said " do you know what happened to him, to them...are they still safe? where ever they are".

"I do and don't worry kiddo, they are safe and happy" she answered.

"I guess that's good, but your death...why did you do it?" I enquired.

"Because I didn't want any more suffering, but I guess I didn't realize that by doing what I did I caused you to suffer more" she said looking away and up the hall to a silver door that I hadn't seen before.

"What is that?" asked Kanan, as he to looked at the silver door.

"That is our way out of here"Depa said and started walking to it only to stop when Kanan and I started following her and Kara.

"No, its only for Kara and I. We are leaving you two, you won't forget us or what we went through together, but its time for you to move on" she finished.

"How?" I asked.

"By keep doing what your doing Ezra. Trust your friend he seems to know what he is doing" Kara said just before she walked through the silver door and out of my life.

"You bet he does, Kanan... Caleb, trust yourself, trust in the force, they both know what they have to do. I will see you two again one day, just not yet, okay my jedi brothers" Depa said before she too walked through the door.

The door vanished, leaving Kanan and I alone in the hallway. I didn't know what to do or say in light of what Kara and Depa Billaba told me and what I could see of Kanan, he too was in shock.

"Ezra are you okay with what just happened? I mean Kara gave you the answers you have been waiting for, but spill it kid there is more to it isn't there?" Kanan enquired of me.

What could I say when ever Kanan or Hera said spill it, that was their jargon for revealing what was troubling them, so that they could offer support, but after that, I knew it was just going to be something I needed to work through by myself, because sometimes talking wasn't the solution.

"Kanan I don't know what to tell you,I don't even know how I feel" I told him, my vision was starting to become blurred with the tears welling in my eyes.

"Son, don't worry over that. its okay if you don't know how you feel. To tell you truth I don't even know how I feel. Maybe its like a curse that we saw and talked to them again, but in a way they freed us from something that might have swallowed us whole in the end"Kanan said placing his arm around me knowing that we two would soon be leaving this place.

"I believe you are right, this is something that had been building up deep inside for years,didn't take too much to set me off, Killing Dale, freeing those slaves, finding out why Kara did what she did. I can start to really let go now, I just know it" I replied.

"Can you?" Kanan asked.

"I can or will work on letting go and you should as well. All the feelings of guilt, the shame, the sadness and the lost of hope, they don't do us any good" I answered.

Kanan smiled " my wise padawan of a son" he said in my mind.

I smiled. So much had since my parents disappearance, my life on the streets, my enslavement and the escape that happened after. When I look back I barely recognize the small street rat that I was, Kanan saw to that. I may not be completely free of all my pains and fears, but I know I am not alone. As long as I have Kanan and others that care about me around me, helping me, no matter what that is. Whether its jedi stuff with Kanan, flying with Hera, talking with Sabine or even playing pranks on Chopper and Zeb. They are there for me and I am there for them, always/

The End

 **AN: thoughts anyone? what's through the silver door? that is my challenge to you all.**

 **An 2: lookout for my new story " the great journey".**


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